Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

I’ve enjoyed every one of the novels I’ve read and/or listened to in Ms Balogh’s Survivor’s Club series, and Only a Kiss, the sixth book, is no exception. The author continues her extraordinarily insightful stories about a group of people – six men and one woman – indelibly scarred by their wartime experiences with the story of Imogen, Lady Barclay who, eight years previously, watched her officer husband die at the hands of his French captors.

One of the things that attracted me most to this story was something the author said on her website to the effect that she wanted to explore the relationship between a woman like Imogen – whose mental scars have caused her to withdraw from life – and a man who had everything he could possibly want; wealth, good looks, and a loving, close-knit family, his life completely carefree and untroubled. In the other books, the damaged heroes have been partnered with heroines who, while not having experienced the horrors of war, have nonetheless had to face difficulties and unpleasantness in their lives. But Percival Hayes, Viscount Barclay and Earl of Hardford has reached the age of thirty with, to paraphrase Jane Austen, nothing in life to vex him – and is just starting to realise that he’s bored out of his mind and has not done much with his life for the past decade.

Having come into the earldom a couple of years earlier as the result of the death of a distant cousin – Imogen’s husband – in Portugal, Percy has never bothered to inspect the Cornish estate he has inherited, being already in possession of a vast fortune and massive estate in Derbyshire. But when in his cups one night and feeling especially, massively bored, he decides to go and have a look around. He travels to Hardford Hall almost immediately – before he can change his mind – and is surprised to find it inhabited by three females and a menagerie of mangy mongrels and moggies.

One of those ladies is the widowed Lady Barclay, and Percy’s first impression of her is that she is a marble statue of a woman; graceful but completely imperturbable, and he isn’t at all sure he likes her. Indeed, they get off on entirely the wrong foot, which is odd, given that Percy’s ability to charm the birds from the trees is legendary and his dark good looks have caused many a swoon. But as far as Imogen is concerned, he’s arrogant and egotistical and not at all the type of man she wants anything to do with. Their initial encounters are awkward and somewhat frosty – especially on Imogen’s part, with Percy unable to work out what it is about her that gets him so worked up that he tends to blurt out whatever thoughts are in his head whenever he’s around her.

This is a very gently moving story for the most part, but that is by no means a criticism as it allows the listener more time to enjoy the beautifully expressive voice of Rosalyn Landor, whose skilled, multi-layered performance is a sheer delight. The unhurried development of the romance allows the listener to get to know Percy and Imogen, and, given their initial dislike for each other, it makes sense that it would take time for their initial wariness to turn into an uneasy companionship and then a friendship. Imogen has very deliberately determined not to allow herself to feel strong emotions again, but Percy’s presence is unsettling her in ways she has never before experienced. Her marriage was a happy one, but was born of familiarity and companionship rather than founded on mutual attraction and passion. Percy’s kindness and his genuine concern for her start to melt Imogen’s icy façade, and, with her annual visit to Penderris Hall just weeks away, she decides to let herself experience the thrill of sexual passion for just a short time. Percy will shortly be returning to London while she will be making her visit and then returning to her old life at the dower house on the estate, so there is no question of there being anything long-term between them.

The slow-burn romance between Imogen and Percy is charming and I loved their many interactions, which range from funny and flirtatious to tender, yearning and awkwardly honest. Percy knows the basics of Imogen’s story, but the more he comes to know her, the more he is sure that she isn’t telling him everything. There were times I got a little impatient with Imogen’s refusal to allow herself to experience happiness or joy, although as the story unfolded, I realised that what Ms Balogh was showing me was a woman still unable to see past the burden of guilt she has carried for eight years. Imogen believes herself to be healed, yet she is nothing of the sort; she is merely in a kind of limbo and needs someone to push her so that she can start to live her life again. What makes Percy her perfect match isn’t his liveliness, intelligence or skill as a lover; it’s his care of her and his persistence, the way he prods and provokes her, asking the difficult questions that nobody else wants to or thinks to ask.

That’s not to say the “healing” aspect of the relationship is one-sided, however, as Imogen comes to realise that Percy’s gorgeous, often flippant exterior hides a truly good man – but one who lacks purpose and conviction. Rather like Imogen, he has been living in a kind of limbo, albeit for different reasons, and with her help, he comes to see that he has much to offer and that he can make a difference to the lives of the people who depend on the estate for their livelihoods.

There is an intriguing sub-plot concerning the smuggling gangs operating on the Cornish coast, as well as a well-drawn and often very funny set of secondary characters rounding out the story, which has become one of my favourites of the series.

Rosalyn Landor narrates with her customary, consummate skill, bringing Imogen and Percy perfectly to life in my mind’s ear. She captures Imogen’s frostiness very well, giving her a slightly brittle, bright tone when appropriate, and then bringing out her underlying vulnerability with gentler more resonant notes. I particularly enjoyed her characterisation of Percy in his more serious but less self-assured moments, her softly modulated tones leaving the listener in no doubt of the goodness and compassion that lie beneath his veneer of charm and mischievous good humour. The secondary cast is equally well-delineated, especially Imogen’s Aunt Lavinia and her companion, the formidable Mrs Ferby; and the various servants and tenants are all voiced appropriately and boast a nice smattering of Cornish accents which are consistent and not too thick, making them easy to understand.

I have to make special mention of Ms Landor’s superb work in the scene towards the end of the book when Imogen finally tells Percy the whole story relating to her husband’s death. It is a shocking, devastating moment, and the listener is pulled right into the room with Imogen and made to feel the rawness of her emotions. It’s gut-wrenching and beautifully played; emotionally charged without going over the top, and superbly acted with no loss of clarity of diction.

The Survivor’s Club is one of the strongest series around in historical romance at the moment, and this new addition only serves to make it stronger. There are a couple of loose ends I’d have liked to have seen tied up, but they are peripheral to the story and I suppose there is scope for one of them to be re-visited in the next (final) book. As is obvious, I enjoyed listening to Only a Kiss very much indeed, and it’s an audiobook I’m certainly going to return to in the not too distant future.

Caz

Narration: A

Book Content: A-

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Minimal

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Recorded Books [jwl-utmce-widget id=32435]