In the latest Wescott Family novel, we meet Wren Hedley, a wealthy young woman who wants to get married. After meeting a couple of duds, she meets Alex, Earl of Riverdale. Alex needs a wealthy young woman who wants to get married in order to save the impoverished estate he inherited. Seems like a perfect match, except....Wren is basically a sheltered recluse due to a disfiguring birthmark and Alex wants to have a wife who can step into the role of the Countess of Riverdale and also someone with whom he can possibly have a happy marriage.
As they get to know each other, Alex realizes that Wren needs to learn to be part of a big family before she can be part of society. Wren has bitter memories of her early life that need to be overcome before she can accept all the affection that the the Wescotts and Alex, in particular, can provide.
This has been a great series to read and this latest book adds an interesting twist on the marriage of convenience theme. It was fun to learn more about the family and how they are dealing with the aftermath of a life changing scandal. I can't wait to read the next book in the series next year!

Alexander Westcott needs to marry a rich bride since he unexpectedly inherited a title and an estate in ruins. Wren Heyden is very wealthy due to inheriting a glassworks business and has lived her life in seclusion due to a birthmark covering half her face, but she wants marriage and children. Their love story develops very slowly but realistically, and Mary Balogh knows how to infuse a story with warmth and heart. This new entry in the Westcott series is a delightful addition and gives readers the chance to once again learn more about the entire family. I will look forward to the next one for answers concerning more of the supporting characters. Highly recommended!

If we had this story today we would easily recognize the impact of bullying, but in the regency era the opinion of the ton serves the same person. What would you do if you were a female with a large birthmark on your face? Retreat, hide, disappear or take charge of your future and happiness. This book shows you all the options and you will find yourself cheering strongly for the underdog. As usual she is a master of the regency romance.

This is a fairly good work by a well known author in the Regency romance field. Nothing trailblazing but a fan of Balogh will not be disappointed.

As always, the depth of character and motivation is excellent. A well paced plot.

I put this book on my TBR because Mary Balogh is an autobuy for me, not because I was necessarily excited for Alexanders' story. Frankly, Alexander wasn't all that exciting in the two previous books.

But Balogh does her magic thing and transforms Alexander into a truly great hero in this one, he blossoms rather nicely.

This story seems an allusion to beauty and the beast with the gender roles reversed. In fact, like she did in the first book of the series where she throws romance novel convention out the window and makes her her hero in that book code rather effeminate (I always picture Netherby as looking kinda like a Caucasian version of Prince with his lace and eyeliner) Balogh codes Wren, the heroine here, somewhat masculine-ly.

Alexander is always described as otherworldly handsome and proper and his estates needs rescuing by money. Whereas Wren is "tall as man" and "athletic" and she is a business mogul who runs a glass factory and brings in dolla-dolla bills to help him fix all his estates. Also she is the one who proposes to him. And while Wren is not technically a beast -- she has a big birth mark on one side of her face which has made her a recluse and she hides in her big estate all alone -- her life is in somewhat of a suspension until Alexander breaks the spell.

But the story isn't just abut her surface scars, the bigger issues surrounding them are much deeper. The fun of the story is watching their somewhat unconventional courtship play out and then watching as Alexander and his family dive under that surface and help her heal. There seems to be a theme that runs throughout all three books so far in this series and that is one of parental/parentage secrets and lies and the resultant scars those secrets have left that the adult children must work out in order to heal.

And speaking of Alexander's family -- this is the third book in the series so if you've read the other two you know that the Westcott family is ginormous. And they all make an appearance. I rather like the chaotic lot of them and to see how they are all faring after the monumental scandalous revelations from the first book. Thank goodness Balogh includes a family tree in the beginning.

Really good book. My second favorite of the series.

I enjoyed the first two thirds of Someone to Wed. The heroine has a large birthmark on one side of her face of which she is deeply ashamed, and she only appears in public wearing a veil. She is a recluse who has inherited a glassworks company from her uncle/adoptive father. However, she wants to wed and have children, so she begins inviting gentlemen who need money to meet her so she can propose to one. Her chosen hero is a reluctant Earl who inherited an estate in ruins but no fortune with which to repair it. He is appalled by the impropriety of her proposal but also touched by her situation and a bit intrigued. She refuses to discuss the dark story of how she ended up living with her aunt and uncle.

I liked the fits and starts of the relationship between Alex and Wren. She is damaged and he is drawn to her pain. She slowly unbends and begins to believe that she is not her birthmark. He begins to feel that marrying her is more honest than marrying one of the young rich women being thrown at him by their eager mamas.

This wasn’t a five star book for me because of the last part of the book. First off, his relatives are all so beautiful, exquisite, generous, kind, etc., it became a bit saccharine. Alex is perfection itself – all the prickly difficulty is on Wren’s side, not his. I would have liked him to be not quite so perfect. Also, there had to have been more people at that time who would have been appalled at her birthmark. I was expecting some pushback at some point on everyone overlooking her birthmark, but it never came with one exception.

That one exception is the big reveal about her mother. <spoiler>The mother was one dimensional and I did not find her believable as a character. The scenes with Wren’s mother </spoiler> and the revelation of how Wren came to live with her aunt and uncle fell flat for me.

There are many references to characters from previous books in Someone to Wed, so it’s best read as part of the series.

I read an advance reader copy of Someone to Wed from Netgalley.

Classic Mary Balogh -- memorable characters, lots of charm, and underneath it all, deeply moving.

Such a sweet story, Balogh is a masterful storyteller. This series is fast becoming my favorite (which is saying something for how much I enjoyed The Survivor's Club!). I loved how I was drawn into Wren and Alexander's lives without a huge, messy piece of drama or misunderstanding. This story focuses on redemption, trust, healing, and bravery.

Someone to Wed is a very enjoyable and engaging historical romance. I am a fan of the author and thought that this one reached her normal high bar. Alexander Westcott was a good lead male character, and I found Wren Hayden to be completely fascinating as a main female character.

Alexander has inherited the title of Earl of Riverdale, but his new lands have been neglected and he will have his work cut out for him now. He doesn't have the funds necessary to make badly needed improvements. Wren Hayden offers him a way to improve his situation - marriage to her. Alexander is determined that he will only marry someone he can like and respect, and he isn't sure he can do that with Wren. As he gets to know Wren, he isn't prepared for what he will feel.

Wren is very interesting, as she has a facial birthmark that she feels is totally disfiguring. Her early life was very rough based on the birthmark. Wren has had contact with very few people, and her life changes quickly in ways she never dreamed once she meets Alex.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable story with great characters and an interesting and entertaining storyline. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Another lovely regency period romance from an author who consistently writes strong, engaging characters. The only slight detraction I find is the effort it takes to keep the extended family straight. Revisiting previous main characters is always enjoyable, but the many additional peripheral family members are cumbersome.

**** 4.5 stars: Often you find characters with flaws, but rarely do they have physical deformities. We loved Someone to Wed for its realness and depth of character.





Recommended readers:

If you like Mary Balogh
If you want a real historical romance
If you like imperfect characters with depth
Here's my Rankings:

5/5 for characters
4/5 for plot
4.5/5 overall
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:

Known for her historical romances that go more than skin-deep and step away from a plot focused on passion, Mary Balogh's latest is true to her signature and maybe even more so. Wren Heyden has half her face covered in a birthmark, which has caused her scarring deeper than just her skin since childhood. She's spent most her life as a recluse and when she comes into a great fortune, she wants more for herself. Looking for a husband - she think she needs to use her fortune to get - she finds the new Earl of Riverdale. It's hard to imagine a character like Wren in a romance novel, but Balogh makes it happen and with substance. We loved Someone to Wed for its realness and depth of character.

Available Nov. 7: Someone to Wed by Mary Balogh

Someone to Wed is the third book in Mary Balogh’s series following the fortunes of the Westcott family as its members struggle to put their lives back together after the revelation of a long-buried family secret impacts all of them in many different ways.  The author once again proves herself to be incredibly skilled at examining the detail and minutiae of relationships – both romantic and familial – and in her ability to make her characters’ dilemmas and insecurities feel understandable and realistic.  These aren’t ‘flashy’ books; the focus is very much on the characters and how they adjust to the fact that the lives they had imagined for themselves are suddenly taken away - and how they come to understand that perhaps the very thing they have regarded as a disaster might just have changed their lives for the better.

When, after his death, it was discovered that Humphrey Westcott, the Earl of Riverdale had married his countess while he was already married to someone else, the consequences were far reaching.  His ‘wife’ retired from society to reside with her brother and took to using her maiden name again, and their three children – two daughters and a son – were declared illegitimate, meaning that the supposed heir, Harry, a happy-go-lucky young man in his early twenties, could no longer inherit the earldom.  That honour now falls to Alexander Westcott, the late earl’s nephew, although it’s an honour Alexander could have done without.

When we first met Alex in Someone to Love, he had spent the better part of the last five years working on making good his family finances and setting his Kent estate, Riddings Park, to rights.  A young man who takes his responsibilities very seriously, Alex was at long last looking forward to settling into the life of a country gentleman and had expressed his intention of looking about him for a wife, hoping to find a woman with whom he could happily share his life.  But his dreams of love and a quiet life of obscurity were shattered when he became the Earl of Riverdale. He has inherited the entailed properties that come with the title without being left even the smallest amount of the money necessary to run them, meaning that Alex is now faced with the prospect of marrying for money rather than for love as he’d hoped.

When he receives an invitation to tea from his reclusive neighbour, Miss Wren Heyden, Alex is surprised on arrival to discover that he is the only guest, and even more surprised when Miss Heyden suggests that they are both in a position to offer the other something they want.  She is a shrewd, intelligent and very wealthy businesswoman who successfully runs the glassworks she inherited from her uncle, but owing to the birthmark that covers half her face, she considers herself disfigured and has lived the life of a hermit.  But she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life alone; she wants marriage and a family (and she’s not too coy about her desire to experience sexual passion) and decides to – in effect – buy herself a husband.  Alex is stunned (and not a little put out) by the offer, but he can’t deny that marrying Miss Heyden would solve his financial problems and enable him to put right everything that needs putting right at Brambledean Court.  Yet even so, he knows she isn’t his only option.  In spite of his lack of fortune, he’s very eligible – he’s young, titled and attractive – and there are enough wealthy cits looking to land a title for their daughters that he wouldn’t have any trouble finding a bride among them.  And while Wren’s birthmark doesn’t really worry him, he senses she’s broken somehow, that her “defensive, slightly mocking manner” and her “surface coldness” and self-imposed isolation are the result of emotional issues that go far beyond her face - and he isn’t sure he wants to deal with them.

After a few meetings, Wren and Alex agree that they will not suit and part ways.  Alex returns to London and his family, and gets down to the serious business of bride-hunting while Wren goes to Staffordshire to visit her glassworks.  Yet as Wren immerses herself in work and Alex sets about courting a suitable young lady, both find their thoughts straying to the other, and when, to Alex’s astonishment, Wren appears unexpectedly in London, he realises he’s happy to see her and had missed her.  It’s a new beginning for them both.  Alex has come to terms with the fact that Wren is clearly hiding the truth about her childhood, but feels fairly sure that, given time, she will confide in him, while Wren comes to understand that, should she actually become the Countess of Riverdale, her life as a recluse must end.  She realises the foolishness of her hopes to marry and continue to live in obscurity and, with the help and support of Alex and his family, all of whom treat her with warmth and respect, begins to come out of her shell and to live her life - which is by no means easy for her.  All her life she has hidden her face and her secrets, and it takes a huge amount of courage and determination to set aside years of conditioning and to deal with her fears of being seen in public as well as to believe that people can see past the mark on her face.  Throughout it all, Alex encourages and supports her with a growing sense of pride, even pulling her back occasionally when he senses she’s pushing herself too hard.

Both central characters are extremely likeable and easy to relate to.  There’s a danger that Alex – intuitive, responsible, gorgeous and charming – could come across as too good to be true, but there’s an honesty and depth to him that counteracts that, making him seem more human.  For instance, while his admission that he is put off by Wren’s emotional baggage might make him seem somewhat selfish, I applauded him for both his insight and his truthfulness.  And he gets extra Brownie Points for the way he owns up to being offended that a woman would propose a match based on monetary consideration, while it would have been perfectly acceptable had the boot been on the other foot and actually takes the time to think things through.  Wren is perhaps more difficult to warm to, but that’s intentional; she is self-assured and independent when it comes to business, but her insecurities and lack of social interaction make her seem aloof and prickly, although as soon as the reader begins to understand the reasons for her awkwardness, it’s easy to sympathise with her and to cheer her on as she decides to take back her life with both hands.

As I said at the beginning, this is not a ‘flashy’ book, meaning there are no convoluted plot-twists or melodramatic developments.  Someone to Wed is a leisurely-paced, beautifully developed, character driven romance of the sort at which Mary Balogh excels, and I have no qualms about giving it a wholehearted recommendation.

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In the series, it is good, but not quite as good as the first or second novels. That does not mean you should skip it. What is of most interest is our heroine has a rather large birthmark on her face. This has made her a recluse and she is terrified of people seeing her face. Of course, she is beautiful anyway and just doesn't know it. But the poor girl has suffered some serious trauma and can be forgiven that trope. Which leads me to why I wanted more out of this story. When our heroine finally faces her devil, it seemed anti-climatic. I wanted the villain to be publicly shamed or at least for our heroine to stand triumphant in front of the villain and everyone. It isn't like the Ton can't put two and two together and figure it out. I wanted to see that. I will also note that there is a lot of character name dropping from the rest of the series which gets old fast. But it is a still a good read and worth the time.

A bit of a slow start, but definitely holds in its own. Obviously a sequel, but I was able to enjoy it without reading its predecessors. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I will be reading the rest of the series. The story was interesting and the characters were likeable. Overall, a sweet recency romance about overcoming adversity and accepting yourself.

I thought this novel was just lovely. The heroine was unique, and someone I could sympathize with. I loved watching her grow throughout the course of this book. The hero was kind, steady, and honest. This was the third book in a series, and it did an excellent job building on the characters mentioned in previous books. Mary Balogh is one of my favorites, and this novel exemplifies everything that makes me love her work.

I really enjoyed this book. It is not my favorite in the series but a series contender. The way Balogh described anxiety was something one rarely sees in romance and for that I loved the book.

I really enjoyed this title. I think that my favorite book, so far, in the series is Someone to Hold, but this one comes in a close 2nd. I enjoyed the story and how it unfolded. There was one odd thing about this book that struck me as odd and that is how the heroine views other women. I get that her view is skewed due to her childhood, but her view towards women and humanity was really weird. I kind of wanted to argue with her about it, and she's fictional. That's the only thing that I really didn't enjoy about this book. Even though, given her childhood it's understandable, it was still weird. I did enjoy reading it though, I read it in one go.

Readers of romance fiction know that sometimes this literature informs as well as pleases. Someone to Wed is such a book. Mary Balogh’s heroine, Wren, reminds us of the perils of self-consciousness and self-absorption. A recluse for her entire 29 years, Wren is missing out on life and suffering from self-imposed loneliness and isolation. To find joy, her perception that she is flawed must be corrected, but since it’s such a logical perception, the reader goes on her journey too, slowly coming to discover, with Wren, that what we assume others see in us may not be what they really see at all. Inner beauty and character count for a great deal more than physical appearance. A terrific read – this is a book you will think about after you read the last page. Highly recommended.