Memphis Reads Archive

Fiction/Romance

Doris Dixon reviews SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE by Mary Balogh (Delacorte Press, 2005):

I recommend this book for fans of romance, historical or otherwise--Mary Balogh crafts a satisfying love story that will have you rooting for the inevitable reunion of the two lovers. If you're looking for a new twist on the genre, however, Simply Unforgettable will seem all too predictable.

He's a tall, muscular and impetuous aristocrat. She's a slim, stunning and cautious schoolteacher. They meet during a snowstorm. On a English country road, his carriage passes hers, forcing it into a snowbank. She's outraged. Stranded, she has no choice but to seek refuge with him in a nearby inn. The innkeepers are on holiday and their porter is of little help to the refugees. They make do as best they can--she cooks, he tends the fireplaces. A snowman-building contest and a sensuous waltz melt the ice between the pair and they eventually become lovers. It's a one-night stand. When they return to their respective lives, however, they cannot forget each other. He pursues her despite her protests. Although she loves him, there is a dark secret in her past that convinces her that she would be an unfit wife for a future member of the House of Lords. Also, there's the issue of her career; she enjoys teaching at an all-girls school in Bath, but he thinks she should move to London with him.

Okay, I admit it. I forgot the names of the two lovers. Why look it up on the Internet when their names are largely irrelevant? What matters is that this romance satisfies: independent, intelligent, attractive woman; headstrong, tall, muscular man; believable tension between the two; the inevitable steamy, but not tawdry love scene; personal and social forces threatening to keep the young lovers apart; the eventual reunion. The book is set in Regency England, which is important to the story because he's a member of the ton (London society). Otherwise the novel could have been set elsewhere. In the end, what matters is that Simply Unforgettable delivers.

You might also enjoy Mary Jo Putney's The Marriage Spell, which veers a bit more from genre expectations.

For more information about Regency Romances, see my review of What Price Love? by Stephanie Laurens.


Doris Dixon, Raleigh Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Doris Dixon, Romance