⇒ PDF Free The Escape A Survivors' Club Novel Mary Balogh 9780345536068 Books

The Escape A Survivors' Club Novel Mary Balogh 9780345536068 Books

Download As PDF : The Escape A Survivors' Club Novel Mary Balogh 9780345536068 Books

The Escape A Survivors' Club Novel Mary Balogh 9780345536068 Books

I have been reading Mary Balogh's books since her early Regency novels, post-Heyer (when it was still racy to have one or two very short sex scenes, and preferably none at all). I still consider "The Temporary Wife" to be one of the single finest romance novels ever written. But this? It is a rehashed storyline, made tolerable by Balogh's undeniable skill at dialogue. She lacks Heyer's ear for historic slang, but Balogh's characters do have some of the most skillfully written dialogue, sentences both verbal and mental that sound "real" and in character. But overall, Balogh hit her peak 10 yrs ago with the Bedwyn series, including prequels/sequels. Nothing she has done since has even come close - and certainly not this. Yes, both characters were likable. Yes, the plot made sense. And yes, I felt the inescapable boredom of "this author has done this before, so many times...and was better then."

I bought this book not knowing there were two others before it, but as it stands alone, this wasn't a problem. But I will not be buying the first two, nor will I buy any future ones. Sorry, Ms Balogh, but I'll just keep re-reading your "Summer to Remember" and "Slightly Scandalous" novels. Maybe someday you'll recapture the magic, but your more recent books have been letdowns. Well-crafted, but uninspired and unmemorable.


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The Escape A Survivors' Club Novel Mary Balogh 9780345536068 Books Reviews

This is a story of sublime beauty. For the past six years Ben and Samantha suffered the ravages of the Peninsular War. Ben, whose legs had been smashed, had spent that painful time in grim determination to walk again. Samantha, now widowed, had devoted those years to nursing her wounded husband.

Having lost his military career, Ben was searching for a purpose in life. Visiting his sister on a neighboring estate before beginning some aimless travels, Ben and Samantha meet. While there is an attraction between them, their relationship is amicable but distant. Until, that is, Samantha learns she is to be immediately forced to again live with her tyrannical and oppressive in-laws. Desperately seeking the comfort of her friend, Ben's sister, she finds Ben instead.

While agonizing over her prospects, Samantha remembers her mother having briefly mentioned a cottage in western Wales that had been willed to her, whereupon Samantha decides she must immediately set forth toward that cottage, her only sanctuary. Ben is horrified by the prospect of her traveling alone and unprotected, and insists that he accompany her. Thus begins the escape.

The journey had an almost dreamlike quality to it. It was during this journey that time briefly stood still..."The world had stopped and they had stepped off."

What followed was a beautiful development of deepening friendship. They had fun; they enjoyed each other. Samantha was sunny, kind, intuitive, and innocently pragmatic. Ben was thoughtful, protective, kind, and with a sly sense of humor. Their friendship then gently unfolded into a profound love.

Exquisite writing! Exquisite story! Such a joy to read! Every word was a pleasure.
This book is much better than the preceding two and is the kind of Mary Balogh writing I love. These are GROWN-UPS! Neither Benedict nor Samantha are hysterical, whiney, self pitying, or dumb. They don't make assumptions about each other without asking questions to test the accuracy of their assumptions (those erroneous assumptions are at the heart of too many hysteria driven romance novels which would have no plot at all if the people involved actually talked to each other.) They both face challenges and they recognize what they must do to overcome them. Balogh's best couples do talk to each other, a lot. They converse, argue, tease, laugh, disagree, get angry and make up - in short they actually get to know each other before they make life long commitments. They approach attraction and sex like the normal human activities they are, expressive of desire, tenderness, affection and mutual pleasure. Its not cosmic. They don't pretend they can't live without each other. They in fact know they can (because real people do) and that they will even recover from the heart break if necessary but fortunately don't have to. No one is trying to kill or kidnap anyone else. Samantha's background is a bit mysterious to her but when she fills in the details it is nothing horrible. My only complaint is that the author seems to need to tie up all the loose ends. John and Matilda were not nice characters and Balogh did not have to redeem them in any way to end the story. That felt rather inauthentic. They disappeared from relevance much earlier in the story and should have stayed there.
I have been reading Mary Balogh's books since her early Regency novels, post-Heyer (when it was still racy to have one or two very short sex scenes, and preferably none at all). I still consider "The Temporary Wife" to be one of the single finest romance novels ever written. But this? It is a rehashed storyline, made tolerable by Balogh's undeniable skill at dialogue. She lacks Heyer's ear for historic slang, but Balogh's characters do have some of the most skillfully written dialogue, sentences both verbal and mental that sound "real" and in character. But overall, Balogh hit her peak 10 yrs ago with the Bedwyn series, including prequels/sequels. Nothing she has done since has even come close - and certainly not this. Yes, both characters were likable. Yes, the plot made sense. And yes, I felt the inescapable boredom of "this author has done this before, so many times...and was better then."

I bought this book not knowing there were two others before it, but as it stands alone, this wasn't a problem. But I will not be buying the first two, nor will I buy any future ones. Sorry, Ms Balogh, but I'll just keep re-reading your "Summer to Remember" and "Slightly Scandalous" novels. Maybe someday you'll recapture the magic, but your more recent books have been letdowns. Well-crafted, but uninspired and unmemorable.