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One thing I’ve noticed about Mary Balogh fans is that everyone seems to have a different favorite. While this probably has something to do with the fact that she’s a prolific writer, I think it’s also because her books are as different as her fans. When you open up one of her books, you never know quite what you’re going to get. Some have really resonated with me, while others that have been raved about haven’t worked as well for me. It’s hit and miss. Fortunately, One Night for Love is a bulls eye.
When Neville Wyatt stands in the church awaiting his bride, Lauren, he envisions a wedding as perfect as his bride. But just as Lauren is about to walk down the aisle, another woman in threadbare clothes emerges. Neville turns white as a sheet, because she is his wife Lily, whom he has thought to be dead for almost two years.
The two married in Portugal when he was an army officer and Lily’s father was his sergeant. They are from completely different backgrounds; Neville is the Earl of Kilbourne, and Lily isn’t even literate. The marriage came about because Lily’s father was killed, and it was born partly out of Neville’s desire to protect her during wartime, and partly because he had always loved her. But after one glorious wedding night, Neville’s regiment is ambushed. Lily and Neville are both shot, and when he recovers everyone tells him she’s dead.
Now that she’s back there are several problems. First Neville must deal with the disappointed Lauren who has been waiting to marry him for years. Then there is the matter of Lily’s background. Raised in the army, she has never even been to England before and has absolutely no idea of how a countess should behave. Perhaps most troubling of all is the fact that the reverend who married them in Portugal may not have registered the papers, and they may not be legally married after all. And on top of all this, someone is trying to kill Lily.
Does it sound like kitchen sink plotting? It isn’t – everything is tied together well, and Lily and Neville work out their problems in a very believable way. In the hands of another author, many of these plot elements could have gone awry. Innocent heroines are particularly problematic, because it can be difficult to portray their ingenuous quality without making them come across as stupid. Because Lily has suffered very difficult hardships during the war (especially after she and Neville were separated), she manages to appear innocent without seeming stupid or naive.
Another thing that really makes this book work is the conflict. If you enjoy books in which the hero and heroine love each other right away, this one is not to be missed. Lily and Neville have been in love with each other since they met on the Peninsula, and that never changes. But when they’re living together at his estate and she seems to bungle every aspect of her role as countess, it seems as though love alone won’t make the relationship work. How will they overcome their class differences so they can be together? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
There is a nice secondary romance between Neville’s aunt and – well, somebody else (to explain who he is would give away too much of the plot). It’s also worth noting that there are some secondary characters here who would make excellent heroes and heroines themselves. Most notable are Neville’s sister Gwen and surprisingly, his fiancee Lauren. It would have been easy to make Lauren an uninteresting, interchangeable character or a conniving schemer. Balogh does neither, but she comes back to Lauren now and then and seems to be setting her up for her own story. One can hope anyway.
Balogh fans are all so diverse that it’s hard to say whether this one will work for everyone. Perhaps some will think that the heroine is too innocent, or that certain plot elements are too contrived. But I can tell you that when I was sitting up wide-eyed and spellbound at two in the morning, turning pages as fast as I could, I knew One Night for Love was working for me.
Grade: A
Book Type: European Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 04/08/99
Publication Date: 1999
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.