Oh, I have loved so many Balogh books over the years! But the grind is real, and I just didn’t get to this one in time for a review.

This is Abigail Westcott's story of her romance with Lt, Colonel Gil Bennington, Harry Westcott's superior officer. It was a really slow build romance with not enough time to see it truly blossom. I felt cheated that I didn’t get to see them in love, perhaps with a child on the way. I would have liked to see where Gil’s relationship with his father would go and whether he’d get to know his 3 half-siblings. (Stay tuned for future books to get the answers.) It's a standalone without a cliffhanger, but too much space devoted to explaining the relationships between the extended family. It's a pleasant enough story, but not memorable. Recommended for those who love historical romance, family sagas, and British aristocracy.

Another family-centric, sweet Westcott romance…

I will ever get tired of returning to the Westcott family’s world where family, love and all the drama live! With it all unfolding under regency rules and formality, the author never fails to reveal the warmth and emotions that percolate under all the restrictions. Abby, caught in the middle of a huge scandal along with her family, has done her best to distance herself from the hurt and sorrow. Still conflicted, she can’t help be draw to Gil, who is struggling with family issues of his own…

Unique has each character, their romance offers challenges and heart-hitting problems hard not to get lost in, and that’s exactly what I did. From Gil’s upbringing, which still haunts him today, to Abby’s need to be more than a woman needing to make a good marriage, came together in a rocky relationship start to one that ended so perfectly…

Gentle, sweet and irresistible, witty and smart dialogue, along with the sweetest of puppies and kiddoes, made this another winner in the series.

Six years later, Abigail Westcott is still dealing with the fallout from when her mother's marriage to a wealthy, titled man was declared invalid. Despite all that, the Westcott family has not ignored them, in fact, has kept them very included in their huge family. They've all descended on her childhood home to welcome home her brother Harry, who was seriously injured in the war. She goes for a walk and comes upon a shirtless man chopping wood. Abby assumes he's a servant and scolds him for not immediately donning a shirt.

It turns out that Gil is a lieutenant colonel as well as Harry's superior officer, who traveled home with him to care and support him as he healed. Gil is not a gentleman, actually was brought up by a single mother who'd been impregnated and then left by a member of the ton. Needless to say, he and Abby rub each other the wrong way. They later apologize to each other and work together to get Harry back to health.

Slowly they are drawn together. It develops that Gil needs to regain custody of his young daughter who has been left at her grandparent's house by his now-deceased wife. He does have a lawyer working for him, but the grandfather is a retired general and has more money and power. Harry suggests that Gil marry Abby, to show that he is serious about retiring from the Army and will be able to provide a safe and stable home for the child. They wed by special license and then have to face the rest of the formidable Westcott clan. Tensions rise, the stress level is high, but with the Westcott clan behind them, all is not lost.

I found this delightful! (Read in two days!). My rating 4.5.

Abigail Westcott’s life changed dramatically when her wealthy, titled father died, and it is discovered that he was already married when he married Abigail’s mother. The family rallied together but it still left Abigail, her mother, elder sister, and brother trying to find their places in the finicky Regency society. Six years later Abby is still trying to determine who she is as she avoids society that would snub her even though her extended family is more than ready and able to support her in social circles.

Abby arrives with family to see her brother, Harry, who has returned to their childhood home injured from the war. Behind the house, Abby comes upon a man chopping wood without his shirt. Abby still has the aristocratic response to scold the man, whom she assumes is a servant, for not donning his shirt in front of a lady.

Gil, a lieutenant colonel, is Harry’s superior officer who has traveled home to care for and support his friend. Gil might be the first to acknowledge that he is not really a gentleman, but that doesn’t stop him from taking umbrage with the haughty young woman who has upbraided him.

Although the two didn’t get off on the right foot, they soon state their apologies and begin to see their common interest in caring for Harry. Slowly Abby and Gil share time and discussion which draws them closer. When circumstances indicate that Gil needs a wife to help him in efforts to gain custody of his daughter, Abby is willing to step into the role with Harry’s encouragement. Abby has her own reasons for agreeing to the marriage and Gil is willing to accept her help while pledging to honor her and to be a good husband. The couple might be able to find their way without too much trouble until they have to face Abby’s mother and the rest of her Westcott and other titled family. Now there is increased tension between the newlyweds in addition to the stress of the upcoming custody trial. Will the stresses tear them apart or pull them closer?

I really liked both of these characters who have to walk a tight rope with their damaged backgrounds in a society that can be ruthless. Their initial opposition turned to friendship was well developed. The court custody trial was also a delight for me. The Judge has a certain irascible attitude mixed with humor that made the event fun reading.

Mary Balogh is a “go-to” author for me for her engaging historical romances. She creates interesting characters and provides plausible plots that are navigated with a touch of humor. I have read several of the books in the series and although they read fine as standalones, I think reading them in order helps understand the characters better as the stories proceed. I highly recommend this book, the author and the series.

Source: 2019 NetGalley.

What I love about this author is how Ms. Balogh is able to take two disparaging characters and create a believable setting and premise for these two to fall in love. And she does it thoughtfully, building the attraction, paying attention to chemistry while creating dialogue and scenarios that I can believe.
Someone to Honor pays homage to a spinster and a soldier returning from the war. Their first chance meeting is not love at first sight. In fact, when Abigail Wescott first spies Gilbert Bennington, she takes him for a servant. Not a decorated Lieutenant Colonel. But their interactions and conversation draw the reader into their world, and I fall for this couple as they fall for each other. Even with all of Abigail's propriety and hangup about being an illegitimate daughter, they are perfect for each other, though it's a relationship they must work to secure.

Another great installment. Love this series.

Abigail finally gets her story! A lovely addition to the series. Since the characters from all the other books appear in this one, it's best to read the books in order to avoid confusion. I so enjoy stories of families who love and support one another, especially during difficult times.

I binged a lot of Balogh last year, including the first five books in the Westcott series. Of all the historical romance I've read, Balogh's typically feel the most authentic (and least modern) to me. She writes slightly slower, less steamy books – and that's exactly what I want and love. The Westcott family is so large that it always takes me a few chapters to re-familiarize myself with the characters, but I'm always hooked after that point. I loved how both the hero and heroine in this had to overcome baggage regarding their illegitimacy. And although there is a custody battle in the book, Balogh doesn't turn to any flashy twists or tricks. Instead, she just gives us a quiet story of two people finding love when they least expect it, and I So Liked It.

When Major Harry Wescott returns to England to finish recovering from the war, Abigail sees this as an opportunity. In the six years since she and her siblings were found to be illegitimate, Abby has been trying to figure out who she is. Still not sure, she takes this as a chance for no one to push her while she figures it out. What Abby didn't take into account was her brother's scarred companion. Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert Bennington, Gil to his friends, is awaiting news from his lawyer about his petitions for his daughter. With his wife dead and her parents refusing to let him see his daughter, Gil is impatient and half furious at females in general. Abby and Gil get off to a rough start but the more time they spend together, the more their is an attraction.

After the disappointment of Someone to Trust, I was a bit wary, especially because it was Abby. Coming off as young in the beginning and then trying to fade into the background, I was not looking forward to her book. Then this started slow. There is a big misunderstanding when Gil and Abby meet and it takes a while to get over it. Abby is really in her head and it drove me a little nuts. But I adored Beauty and eventually I liked Gil and Abby. After they get married is when this book get good as they work together to figure out their future and get custody of Katy.

Overall it started slow but then picked up. Soild 4 stars.

Aunt Matilda was actually the biggest surprise and I am so excited for her novella.

*An advanced reader ebook copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The last book I read in 2018 was Mary Balogh’s Someone to Trust (read my review here!). I really enjoyed this ‘sweeter’ historical romance! It was my first real experience reading a book out of series order and I absolutely appreciate that romance books often do not need to be read in order! When I saw that Someone to Honor was coming out I knew I need to get my hands on it.

This Regency romance follows Abigail Westcott and Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert Bennington. Both are outsiders looking to refined society. Both shunned due to circumstances of birth. Both made peace with the idea that they’d never find love. Abby’s life as a lady and daydreams of wonder debut into society were shattered when she, her brother, and her mother learned that her parent’s marriage was invalid making Abby a bastard. However, 6 years later she’s making the best of it and wants to return home to her brother, Harry, a veteran injured in the Napoleonic wars. Lt. Col. Bennington escorts Harry home and seeks to aid Harry’s recovery.

The two get off to a rocky start when Abby mistakes Gil for a servant chopping wood, a very sexy servant. She’s flustered at seeing a half naked man, while he doesn’t appreciate being condescended to due to his own lowly beginnings. Over the course of the book the two discover that their first impressions were inaccurate. And more than just inaccurate they discover they’re perfect for each other.

What I like:

Slow burn: If done well I’ve learned that I love a slow burn romance because I feel like the character development really delves into how the protagonists fall for each other and often how they work through their own baggage.

No Dukes: While not true of the other books in the series, I really appreciated that neither of the characters were titled. Although Abby was previously Lady Abigail Westcott, with the scandal over her birth she has to reckon with her change of status. Gil is a bastard born out of wedlock who works his way through the army ranks via his valor and dedication – not because he was given everything.

It is good to be in Mary-Balogh-world again (and apropos to reading-pair her with Betty Neels; see my previous review on The Moon For Lavinia): a world of grace, depth, and beauty, brought like a well-sprung carriage to a believable HEA-conclusion. I haven’t read the Westcott series before, but was over the moon, Lavinia’s, to read and review Someone To Honor (Wescott #6); it tropishly-ideal marriage-of-convenience narrative was mere icing on the Balogh-wedding-fruitcake.

No one can write deeply-felt, quiet characters, somewhat melancholic, like Balogh can and Someone To Honor‘s Abigail Westcott and Lieutenant-Colonel Gilbert Bennington, “Gil,” are so. Someone To Honor is more Gil’s story than Abigail, but Abigail is the key to Gil’s changes. Gil experiences the greatest inner changes; yet Abigail too finds closure in all that she has realized in the past six years. They’re ideal for each other, but marry for pragmatic purposes with a dose of strong physical attraction, typical to Balogh.

We meet Gil as he accompanies Abigail’s brother, Major Harry Westcott, home to England, Hampshire to be exact, to Harry’s estate, Hinsford Manor. There, Gil will see that Harry absorbs fresh air, mild exercice, and wholesome fare to help his healing from war wounds. Gil sees his time with Harry as a duty towards a junior officer, with a strong liking thrown in, and an opportunity for respite and regroupment before the domestic battle he was set for himself: to get his daughter, Katy, back from her aristocratic grandparents, who view his humble origins, as the ” … bastard son of a blacksmith’s daughter … “, no matter his military might and honor, as beneath their family. But Gil’s wife, Caroline, is long dead and he wants his toddler-girl back. He’s hired a lawyer and set a custody battle in motion.

When we meet Gil and Abigail (following the Westcotts’ arrival at Hinsford) a place Gil hoped to enjoy solitude and daily walks with his canine beast, Beauty, they are pensive, melancholic characters. Gil is broody over his custody battle: ” … he felt only weariness, irritation, and a heavy foreboding that coming home was not going to bring happily-ever-after with it.” Abigail, as I assume we learned from previous books, is only now fully at peace with the discovery, six years ago, that she and her brother, Harry, were the illegitimate offspring of her mother and father, RIP, who had “married” her mother while married to someone else. The interactions and relationships are sundry and made me sorry I hadn’t read the previous books. Suffice to say, the Westcotts are generous and open-hearted and, legitimate and illegitimate, fortune and favour, are shared amongst all. They present a united, loving front to the world and live it day-to-day. But Gil, no matter how warm and friendly the Westcotts are, isn’t at ease: “He did not feel comfortable in aristocratic company. Despite his senior military rank, he was in reality a nobody from nowhere and as illegitimate as Harry. A gutter rat … “

Gil and Abigail’s meet-cute is delicious. Everyone behaves so well, but Abigail sees Gil, sans shirt, chopping wood, and assumes he’s an estate worker. She chides him for his undress before a lady and from thereon, they’re at zingy verbal loggerheads. Abigail’s response is complex: she’s hoity-toity, but attracted too: “He looked like a fearfully dangerous man. Primitive. Magnificent. He was all raw masculinity. Abigail felt herself shudder inwardly.” Gil and Abigail are too compatible, as well as sharing a sense of having been socially shamed, to carry on in this manner. Before long, they’re genuinely and deeply conversing: with Gil telling Abigail about his custody battle and despair at fighting his powerful former in-laws. Abigail too shares her feelings of how and why she came to accept what to her looks like a life of solitude and contentment. She doesn’t want to take part in her family’s urgings to rejoin society, no matter how they rally around her: “For the Westcotts did nothing as well as they rallied.”

Gil and Abigail are solitary, introspective people. They’re introverts: would rather read and take walks than socialize. In sum, perfect for each other. When Gil’s lawyer suggests he present a respectable stepmother for Katy in court, augmenting his chances of winning his suit, Harry plays a lovely devil’s-advocate matchmaker: Gil and Abigail marry “for convenience” to help Gil win his suit. Famous last words in romance. There are currents: of physical attraction, liking, affection, connection … in other words, Gil and Abigail are in love and the only people who don’t realize it are Gil and Abigail.

Balogh’s notion of love is one that is in keeping with mine. Love cracks people open and brings them to a vulnerable, exposed place. Her characters are often settled in their ways, content, a little sad maybe, but their lives are ordered. They often see the vista of the years before them with contentment, unchanging, resolved. They balk at the idea of being in love, as simply, beautifully evidenced by “She was not the love of his heart” and “She did not want to be in love with him.” Balogh’s hero and heroine often come to love slowly, but well. Love is a not a road to Damascus revelation, but an awakening from a long, peaceful sleep to an alertness of heightened being. It is so for Gil and Abigail. There is drama, the court battle, humour (the judge is an absolute HOOT!), and there is love … and a little girl who gets a papa and new mama. Balogh’s Someone To Honour, except for the plethora of confusing, droll and lovely as they are, Westcotts, is perfect. With Miss Austen, we say Someone To Honor, contains “no charm equal to tenderness of heart,” Emma.

Mary Balogh’s Someone To Honor is a Jove Book, published by Berkley. It was released on July 2nd and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-ARC from Jove/Berkley, via Netgalley.

Abigail Westcott lived a charmed life as the daughter of a Duke until 6 years ago when, at the age of 18, she found out that she was illegitimate and fortuneless. Now at 24 she seeks to find her own way financially and perhaps in marriage to a man of her choice. When her brother Harry returns from the Napoleonic War and seeks to recover at their old family home, she sees her opportunity to move out of her mother and stepfather's home and a achieve a modicum of independence by moving in with her brother. What she didn't see coming was her brother's housemate, Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert Bennington. This scarred, sexy soldier is keeping secrets and despite her initial dislike for him, she finds herself drawn to him and wondering if they might be able to help each other.

I love Mary Balogh and have read some, but not all, of the titles in this series. The story started out slow, bogged down by too much re-introduction and backstory on the secondary characters who had been featured in prior books of the series.. However, once I got past the slow start, then I really enjoyed the core love story and the world that the author built. You can't help but love the Westcott family and wish for each and every one of them to have a happily ever after.

Gil is an army man who helps his weak and injured friend, Harry Wescott, home he needs Abby Westcott, Harry’ sister, but isn’t really interested in Abby – he’s more focused on getting his daughter back.

While Gil was in the war, his wife had a baby. He then finds out that she had taken the child to her parents and left her there. The child’s mother then went off flitting from house party to house party and eventually her reckless attitude gets her killed. Gil wants nothing more than to get his daughter back, but the grandparents believe a bunch of lies that Gil’s wife had told about him, and they’ll do anything to keep the child from him.

Gil was born illegitimate. His mother was a washerwoman and his father was a noble. While they didn’t have a much, she always provided for Gil. His father wasn’t in the picture and Gil resents the man for making him and his mother live in poverty. Of course, as the book goes on, we find out that sometimes all is not as it seems.

Gil and Abby come together to get Gil’s daughter back but other than that I felt no real romance between the two of them. Gil was surly and contrary, and Abby was just kind of blah. I was actually bored through most of this book, which was a bit of a surprise since I’ve liked the previous Wescott books so much.

I was interested in the whole daughter issue, (it’s what kept me reading) but it ended up being anti-climactic. There was a lot of stress thinking how it was going to work out and it kind of had me on the edge of my seat. Then, of course, when they actually got to that point it was a bit of a letdown. I don’t know if I was expecting this big fight, or what, but it just wasn’t very exciting.

Balogh is a good author, but I think she really missed the mark on this one. I’m not sure if she wasn’t into the characters as much as previous books, or maybe she was trying to knock it out quickly, but it just didn’t work for me

Rating: 2.5/3 out of 5

I love Mary Balogh. I will read anything she writes. I love this Westcott series. I love that she adds such depth to her characters and give you a reason to cheer for them. I am glad she has written a book for Abigail. I was surprised at the direction she took Abigail and her challenges with the problem of losing her legitimacy just as she would have been introduced into society. I was also surprised to find that there was a marriage of convenience element to the story that I really didn't expect. I love MOC books! Even so, for some reason, the romance didn't ring as true for me as I have felt in the past. I loved that our hero was kind and honorable and tender even though he had not had the training of a gentleman and had won his way through the ranks. I would like to have discovered how he had overcome his upbringing and was able to act and speak as a gentleman would. I thought it was fun that it wasn't the Duke who saved the day at the end. That was an interesting twist that I really enjoyed. As far as the spicy romance books go, Balogh is the best. I feel like the more recent books are the best in really giving the book depth and making the sexual element secondary to the story rather than the main reason for the story. I admit I am happier with that part of the book when the characters are married. This particular book satisfied that for me. These two characters haven't been my favorite of the series but I enjoyed this bookd anyway.. 3.5

Abigail Westcott 'and Gilbert Bennington are an unlikely pair. Once again Balogh bring two lonely people together even though they are not your usual something clicks and the romance works. This is a slow burn romance that should solve a problem in Gil's life. Great story and now they are not than many left to find a tea in the series.

I reviewed this book with Kaetrin on July 2nd at Dear Author:

PLEASE NOTE: We are planning a spoilerific discussion for later on, once the book has been out a little while and readers have had a chance to read it for themselves. The discussion below is spoiler-free.

Brunette lady in a straw bonnet with green ribbons and a sprigged muslin Regency dress and long gloves standing/overlooking a lake lined with Weeping Willow treesKaetrin: Someone to Honor is book 6 in the Westcott series. In book one, Someone to Love, a bigamous marriage was exposed upon the death of the former Earl of Riverdale, thus unveiling an heiress and rendering three of his children illegitimate. Abigail Westcott was the youngest daughter thus affected. At the time aged 18, she had been just about to make her come-out in the world of the ton but it was no longer something open to her given the “stain of her birth”. Now, six years later, she has successfully and continually resisted being drawn back into the world of fashionable society. None of her family seem to understand that she does not wish to participate. She has powerful relatives – an earl, a duke and a marquess – all of whom stand ready to add to her countenance. She would be received in many places and would be able to make a good marriage – although perhaps not as high as previous to the news her father was not legally married to her mother (on account of having a former, still-living-at-the-time, secret wife). But Abby doesn’t want it.

Janine: I thought Abby was right in feeling that she didn’t want to marry into a family that would consider her lesser, even if they did accept her.

I don’t know if, in the real regency, even the aid and support of Abby’s powerful relatives would have been enough to overcome the obstacle of her illegitimacy, but since that idea was baked into the novel from the beginning, and since the plot wasn’t about Abby marrying into the nobility, it wasn’t hard to go with the flow.

Kaetrin: Yes, I always liked that Abby’s sense of herself wasn’t confined to society’s view; that she wasn’t prepared to accept the label as less-than.

Since her mother married the Marquess of Dorchester in Someone to Care, Abby has been living with them at one or other of his various properties, away from her childhood home of Hinsford Manor in Hampshire. At the start of Someone to Honor, Abby’s beloved brother, Harry, has returned to England from a long convalescence after injuries sustained at Waterloo and has gone to Hinsford to continue his recovery. Of course, the entire family descend on Hinsford to see him. They had not seen him for two years and had been in imminent fear of him dying and the Westcotts are a very close family, so it was no surprise they would do so. Harry’s presence at Hinsford, the place she thinks of as “home”, gives Abby the opportunity to stay behind with Harry and that is what she decides to do.

Harry was accompanied home by his friend and fellow officer, Lieutenant Colonel Gil Bennington. Harry has asked Gil to stay and keep him company as he continues to return to health. Gil feels strongly that the reason Harry is still so unwell is that the doctors in Paris insisted on keeping Harry indoors, eating only “invalid food” and bleeding him as a treatment for any fever. It’s no wonder Harry hasn’t thrived. Harry is heartily sick of doctors and treatment. He wants quiet companionship and support in getting his strength back and he definitely doesn’t want to be hovered over.

Gil is a widower with a two-year-old daughter, Katy. Katy was taken by his wife, Caroline, to her family before she ran off to party with friends when Gil was fighting at Waterloo. Caroline died and her parents have kept his daughter, refusing to even let Gil see her.

Gil has kept most of his this to himself; Harry only knows that Gil is a widower with a daughter and believes Gil is taking some time before taking on the daunting responsibility of single-parenthood. Gil would be only too happy to take on the task but it has not been allowed to him by General Sir and Lady Pascoe, his parents-in-law. He has retained a lawyer who came highly recommended and the lawyer’s advice is to sit back and wait while he does his thing. Gil isn’t keen on this plan but feels he has no other choice.

Gil is a doting father – or, he was for the brief period after Katy was born and before he was recalled to fight in France but his marriage wasn’t happy. After Waterloo he came home to find his wife and daughter missing. When he finally managed to locate Katy and was not allowed to see her, he did become very angry and upset (of course) but not violent, and then suddenly he was assigned to St. Helena to guard Napoleon – which kept him away from England for another year. Gil knows full well how that assignment came about. It’s convenient for Gil to stay at Hinsford with Harry, to help his friend and to await his fate at the hands of lawyers and the court system.

Gil is the illegitimate son of the daughter of a blacksmith and a more well-to-do man. He was raised solely by his mother, who took work as a washerwoman after she was disowned by her family.

Gil and his mother were extremely poor. Gil’s mother insisted he attend the local school and learn to read and write however. At age 14 he “took the king’s shilling” and enlisted in the army. After the death of his mother, his father bought him an officer’s commission without Gil’s knowledge and then a promotion to Lieutenant. But Gil is a very prideful man and, having heard nothing from his father for his entire life before then, he makes it clear he will accept nothing further from his sire. Gil’s other promotions have been solely on merit. He does feel like an imposter though. He’s “not a gentleman.” He speaks of himself as “guttersnipe”. He doesn’t belong with the officer class. He was far happier as a sergeant.

Janine: The mystery around Gil’s father–who he was, why he’d bought those commissions for Gil after abandoning Gil and refusing to marry his mother, and whether or not this would be pursued further, made Gil’s backstory all the more intriguing.

Gil performs well as an officer despite his reluctance to be in a higher echelon. And he is not at all in need of his father’s charity. He wins prizes in military competitions that, after being well-invested, net him a large house that isn’t quite a mansion. Gil dreams of returning there with his daughter and making a life there.

Continued at the link provided below or find the rest of the review at Dear Author.

Eh. It's standard Balogh fare: lots of misery and angst for the MCs (the poor dears never seem to enjoy themselves), meandering plot that's still enjoyable, dukes with quizzing glasses (seriously, Balogh loves a duke with a quizzing glass), satisfying enemies-to-lovers where they get off on the wrong foot, etc.

You'll love it if you love her other books, but I confess this series hasn't been my favorite. It's fine, just nothing to rave about. I usually am a fan, but I find my tastes changing over the past few years - I'm not the same reader I was five years ago. I can still enjoy my favorite Baloghs in rereads via a nostalgic lens, but my ambivalence toward her new books say more about me than the author. She's not changing; I am. (less)

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. I have read this entire season and this book is as good as all of the rest in the series. Mary Balogh is the queen of Recency Romance Writers!! I love the way these two main characters are drawn together without realizing at first how or why they are drawn to each other. I love the way the family reacts in particular her ailing brother who has a bit of a devilish matchmaker gene in him I think. I like the way Abigail and Gil are very different yet very similar in many ways and it is both the differences and the similarities that draw them together. Another outstanding book. Can't wait for the next one in the series!!!!

Mary Balogh has outdone herself in Someone to Honor, the 6th Westcott book. Abigail Westcott’s story begins three years after Someone to Trust, Elizabeth and Colin’s romance. Despite spending the intervening years with her mother, Viola, who is married to the fashionable Marquess of Dorchester, Abby shows no interest in finding a husband. The Westcott family likes to worry about its members and enact loving and elaborate plans for their future, but Abby politely refuses to play along.

Abby’s brother Harry, now a captain, returns to Hinsford, the country estate where he grew up, after months and months of hospitalization in Paris. He is escorted by his military friend Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert (Gil) Bennington, as well as his kinsmen, Avery, the Duke of Netherby, and Alexander, the Earl of Riverdale. It’s a miracle Harry didn’t die from his war wounds and he’s still terribly weak. Hence his decision to go to Hinsford, rather than London—perhaps his loving family won’t descend on him there. Ha! Abigail sees a chance to help her brother recuperate plus an opportunity to leave the marriage mart behind her. She knows she can help her brother.

He needed someone who would encourage him to walk and talk and take some air and exercise even if it was only a drive around the park in the gig, but someone who would also leave him alone at times. He needed someone to reminisce with and laugh with—and even someone to laugh at him when necessary. He needed someone who would give him the chance to restore his soul.

And oh dear me, she needed all those things too.

She needed to be with someone who was not forever looking at her with loving concern. Someone who was not constantly trying to plan a better life for her without knowing what she would consider better. Someone who would not be hurt because she could not seem to respond to their well-meaning efforts. Someone to laugh at her occasionally. Someone to talk and reminisce with her and not fuss over her. Someone who would respect her silences and her gravity. Someone who would make her laugh.

Someone to understand.

Does such a paragon exist? Reading between the lines, it sounds like Abby wants to be of service to—or important to—someone rather than be the sad, unmarried sister. With Lieutenant Colonel Bennington she gets her unspoken wish. After the family disperses, Abby, to everyone’s surprise, remains at Hinsford, as does Gil. Gil is treading water, waiting to hear from his lawyer. He’s embroiled in a nasty custody case for his baby daughter, who lives with his dead wife’s parents. It’s Harry who blurts out that perhaps Abby is Gil’s solution, saying, “You need a new wife.”

And somehow as he said it Gil found himself locking eyes with Miss Westcott. Her cheeks turned scarlet under his scrutiny as she looked sharply away and reached for her plate. What the devil? She did not think Harry was suggesting her for the role, did she? And she did not think he—

“Someone like Abby,” Harry said, his voice cheerful again, totally unaware of the acute discomfort he had just caused his two companions. And he was not finished. “She would be ideal, in fact. She—”

“Harry!” Brothers! Romance readers, however, will not be surprised that Abigail Westcott marries Lieutenant Colonel Gil Bennington—and without inviting her family to the nuptials. Haste is of the essence because of Gil’s custody fight. His daughter’s maternal grandparents detest him, and a wife will make Gil’s case to retrieve his daughter more compelling. Like Abby, Gil is illegitimate but unlike her, he’s not part of an aristocratic family—his mother was a washerwoman. When Abby comes to London and shares her news with her family, Viola states baldly that the Westcotts are about to descend on her, particularly Matilda, Mildred, and Louise, Abigail’s father Humphrey’s three sisters. Viola is succinct.

The triumvirate. The eternal fixers. I suppose they spoke for everyone. They are concerned, Abby, especially when for six years you have shown such marked reluctance to marry anyone. Of course they are concerned.

At a family meeting Matilda declares that they “need a plan for drawing him into the family, for making him feel welcome.” And even more is needed to help Gil and Abby.

“And we need a plan,” Aunt Matilda continued, “to make sure that he and Abigail succeed in getting custody of his child. It is quite unthinkable that a father not be allowed to take his own child home with him when he clearly loves her and did not consent to her being taken to her grandparents in the first place.”

Abigail is asked if Gil knows who his father is: she reluctantly replies Viscount Dirkson. Viola remembers him as a member of Humphrey’s set, “not a strong recommendation.” Consequently, Matilda persuades Viola’s step-son Bertrand, who has an acquaintance with Dirkson’s son, to escort her to Dirkson’s townhouse. You’ll have to read Someone to Honor to savor all the details but suffice to say, Dirkson is a surprise character witness at Gil’s custody hearing.

I LOVED the custody hearing. The scenario reminded me of the scene in Balogh’s Slightly Married, the first book in the Bedwyn saga. Colonel Lord Aidan Bedwyn shows up at a hastily arranged custody hearing to prevent his wife’s young relatives from being taken from her side. Honor is everything to Aiden and he is stunned to realize that the judge is not convinced by his arguments. It takes Wulfric, the omnipotent Duke of Bedwyn, to sway the day. What Aiden and Gil have in common is their steely, taciturn military façade.

Someone to Honor has an unforgettable judge: I'm sure Mary Balogh enjoying bringing him to life. His dry, ironic, and humorous bon mots are so unusual. After Dirkson shares that the “Westcotts have a reputation for marrying only when their hearts are fully engaged with someone they deem worthy of their love,” Judge Burroughs says (with more than a “glimmering of humor”), “We may need handkerchiefs after all,” the judge said, drumming his fingertips on his desk before sitting back in his chair, frowning and pursing his lips.” It takes a family to save the day and not the most powerful members of the Westcott family at that.

Abby and Gil are a delightful couple: perhaps it’s a miracle that they found each other but once discovered, there’s no doubt that a warm and loving happily-ever-after awaits them.

Now if time could just hurry up so I could read Matilda’s story, Someone to Remember.

Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert Bennington has escorted his wounded friend, Harry, home to the country where he can fully recover and regain his strength after suffering severe injuries. Much to his dismay, he learns that throngs of Harry’s family will soon be arriving, all anxious to see that their beloved relative is truly well. Harry’s sister, Abigail Westcott, arrives, and has a memorable encounter with Gil, which causes them to immediately get off on the wrong foot and take an instant dislike to each other. Gil’s intentions were to stay with Harry for an extended period, helping him back from invalid status without coddling him, and he looks forward to the Westcott family’s departure, not knowing that Abby has also made plans to stay when the rest of her family leaves.

The Westcott family finally packs up and departs, leaving a shocked Gil and Abby facing each other, realizing that they’re going to have to endure each other’s company. Since they both have Harry’s best interests at heart, they treat each other politely, while trying to avoid each other’s company. Still, there are bound to be times when they have to be around the other, and they come to a kind of truce, as well as an understanding and respect for each other.

There are certain kinds of heroes that I really appreciate, and Gil is one of them. He’s a bit unpolished, though his career as an officer has led him to know how to perform the social niceties. His demeanor appears unsmiling, even forbidding, but he uses that persona to keep people from getting too close, and learning about his “gutter rat” origins. He was born to poverty, his mother being the daughter of a blacksmith, and his father, a member of the nobility, who never married her. His father did finance his becoming an officer, and he married a general’s daughter. His now deceased wife soon discovered that her marrying Gil was a mistake, and after she gave birth to their daughter, Katy, she left the child with her parents and went off to live a life of parties and fun. Now that Gil is back from the war, he has found that his in-laws refuse to relinquish custody of his daughter to him. His heart’s desire is to take his daughter to his home, Rose Cottage, and to create a loving family, something he’s never known.

Abby was raised to be an earl’s daughter, and just before her debut, it was scandalously discovered that her father was a bigamist, and she is, in fact, illegitimate. Rather than try to worm her way back into society, Abby has decided to travel her own path. She won’t marry a fortune hunter, or someone who would help her socially. She’s not exactly sure what she’s seeking, but if she doesn’t find it, she’s content to remain unmarried.

As Harry recovers, and his two guests become more comfortable with each other, Harry makes the outrageous suggestion that Gil should marry in order to present a more stable home life to the judge who will decide who gains legal custody of Katy. And he suggests that Abby is a likely candidate! Though surprised and, at first, reluctant, Gil and Abby are not averse to the suggestion. Even though they were initially hostile to each other, they felt an underlying attraction. They discuss the option of marriage, and come to agree to proceed. Though this is a convenient marriage, they immediately share a warm and compatible physical relationship, while Abby has an uncanny knack of seeing the honorable and wounded man beneath Gil’s rough exterior.

SOMEONE TO HONOR is a beautifully written, character driven romance which brings two wounded souls together. Abby immediately makes the custody battle for Katy her own battle, too, and before long the whole extended Westcott family lends their support to the newest member of the family. I love Gil and Abby, and it was so sweet when they realized that they had found genuine love. There are many characters in the Westcott family, and if you haven’t read previous books in this series, you may feel a little at sea, though the relationships are explained here. I think it’s a testament to Mary Balogh’s excellent writing that I remember each and every character from previous books, as well as their stories. I adore this book and wholeheartedly recommend SOMEONE TO HONOR, as well as the WESTCOTT series, especially for readers who enjoy character driven, emotional romance, and wonderful family love.