Thank you to Berkeley Publishing for an ARC of this 9th book in the Wescott Series

Of course I had to find the first eight books first, although you could read this as a stand alone - especially as it’s really a friends of the Wescott novel, however,I’m glad I read the earlier novels ( loved the Wescotts ) and had a chance to meet Lady Estelle in earlier novels. She is one of my favourite heroines in this series, and I enjoyed her story and romance with Justin, there were a lot of new characters in this story and I have to admit I had trouble keeping track of them all.

Another lovely entry in the Westcott extended family series. Estelle, daughter of Marcus Lamarr, gets her story in this edition. Some of the tropes feel a bit over-used, the brooding hero for example. I get that he has things in his past, but sometimes it might be nice if the man wasn't quite so dour. Thankfully Estelle arrives with her much sunnier personality and pulls her hero out of his funk.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

It is possible that I have read one other book in this series, but certainly not all the previous eight instalments. Perhaps this was why I found the sheer number of characters and their various relationships and step-relationships to one another far too many and too complex. There was a very small print detailed family tree at the beginning, but I couldn't find Justin, Estelle or Bertrand on it anywhere.

There was a lot of the usual Balogh repetition and telling rather than showing and obsessing over small details and I started skimming when, entirely out of the blue, Justin proposed to Estelle, and when she said no, forced a kiss on her. My skimming leads me to believe that there is a lot of disfunction and angst in this book, and I don't have the energy for it.

This is a nice Mary Balogh book but it's a bit repetitive if you've read her other books. This is making her books feel a bit stale and not that exciting.

This is the second Mary Balogh novel I've tried to read. I don't think her books are for me. I like that they're more in the Regency style of Georgette Heyer. But the two I've read were incredibly repetitive, whole chapters stagnated by reiterated purpose.

The narrative here is terribly bogged down by long tracts of family history and names that I have no use for; even had I read the prior novels in this series, I wouldn't appreciate the repeated family trees connections. The over-exposition of past events is tedious and interferes with the growth of the romance. In the end, I was pretty bored.

If you're looking for gentle, sweet and traditional, then this is the book for you. Not quite my cup of tea, but I think there will be many people who love this book and it's softness. Being familiar with the Westcott family also helps!

She was looking for someone perfect but learned to love the imperfect instead.

Estelle Lamarr was the daughter of a Marquess and had a twin brother that meant the world to her.

After her mother's tragic death, her father abandoned his kids in the care of his sister-in-law and led a rakish life for decades before the family was reunited and past sins forgiven.

Wounded by this abandonment, Estelle wanted to marry the perfect man and was willing to wait for him.

That is why she despised Justin Wiley, Earl of Brandon, a man banned by his father, who had sent his stepmother and sister away from their home right after his father's death.

As always, Mary Balogh brings emotional turmoil to the pages in a captivating and entrancing way.

Both Estelle and Justin had many demons to fight, and together, they found the courage to face their fears and the pain, allowing each other into their strong built walls.

I love the couple's chemistry, the slow burn romance, and the tension of the friends-to-lovers trope.

Lovely and emotional! Recommended!

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 11/28/2021*

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love unexpected romance novels to the point where I am 100% invested and Someone Perfect did exactly that and then some. I love the twist Mary Balogh did with the character backgrounds in having family trouble between Justin and Maria and their relationship diminishing and then enters Lady Estelle and she completely warms Justin's heart turning him into a new man. This book is a perfect example of how a terrible situation could lead to a blessing and that sparks hope for me and warms my heart. Mary Balogh is very popular in circulation of our Romance collection and our patrons will be excited to see another one of her novels and it's sure to do well.

We will consider adding this title to our Romance collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Justin Wiley, the Earl of Brandon, was banished by his father when he was a young man and he set out to make a different life for himself. He never saw his father again and when he inherited the title after his father's death, he sent his stepmother and sister Maria to live at one of the lesser properties. Now that Maria's mother is dead, Justin is determined to bring her home, but there's a problem, Maria hates him. Her friend, Lady Estelle Lamarr, and her twin brother agree to go Everleigh to help Maria settle into her childhood home again. Estelle can't help but despise Justin as well even though she doesn't know him or the truth behind his banishment. Is there more to his story than Estelle imagines?

I usually like Ms. Balogh's stories, but this one was just a mess. The author spends page after page on descriptions of the landscape and the house and there are so many minor characters introduced that I totally lost track of them all. It was not necessary for the story of Justin and Estelle and really detracted from them. All those pages could have better been spent on the developing relationship with Justin and Estelle. I only kept reading the story to find out why Justin was banished although I could guess what it was. After skipping page after page, Justin and Estelle finally find their happily ever after.

Mary Balogh has taken the Westcott series into the extended family with another fine story. As with the original characters, the characters in this book are complex and conflicted, and continue developing throughout the story. This series has recurring themes of redemption from problematic pasts and the importance of family. This latest addition follows that pattern. Another excellent romance from a talented storyteller.

This series is so sweet and while a little complicated with so many characters, I can easily fall into world Balogh has created over and over. Someone perfect is a romantic and wonderful addition to the series and I'm so in love with Balogh's work.

Enjoyable historical romance about Estelle and her twin brother who live in the country and watch over Maria, a teenage neighbor whose mother has died. When Maria's brother, Justin, the Earl of Brandon, returns to take her back to the family estate, he finds that his sister doesn't want to go. He asks Estelle and her brother, Bertrand, to go with them to help her adjust to her new environment. Past issues come to light with why Justin left originally and are resolved. Justin and Estelle overcome their initial dislike and become close. Recommended.

Not my favorite of the series. In fact, it might be time to end the Westcott series. This one just didn't hold much interest for me.

I’ve enjoyed Ms. Balogh’s Westcott series, and it’s delightful to see it continue with their extended family. Estelle first came onto the scene as a fairly angry teenager—justly so, given her father’s essentially abandoning her and her brother after their family’s tragedy. Now, several years later, the rifts have healed, in the best possible ways: there is no denial of the pain of past years, but everyone has chosen to move forward into a happier present. Which, in turn, makes Estelle the perfect person to help Justin deal with his own longstanding family pain.

I’ve noticed a theme of forgiveness throughout the Westcott books, and of coming to terms with deep hurts, which is only to be expected of a series where the opening premise is the discovery upon the death of an earl, that he had had a previously unknown legitimate daughter, and that his other children, having been born in a bigamous—and therefore invalid—marriage were illegitimate. The series did a wonderful job of exploring the fallout of this discovery on each of the family members closely involved, and in so doing, build a rich collection of characters, each of whom learned how to grow from the great scandal that affected all of them. It is a lesson they clearly passed on to Estelle and her brother, and that Estelle passes on to Justin’s family here. Justin’s life-altering event is as shocking as any in the Westcott family, (and I certainly would take his father to task—not so much for what he did, but how he chose to handle it), but Estelle is able to draw on her own experiences, and that of her extended family, to help heal the rift.

Family is another theme I’ve noticed in these books, whether by blood, marriage, or deep friendship. Estelle remains close to both her mother’s family, who raised her, as well as her father’s family, and has been thoroughly embraced by the various Westcotts. No one is left out, or forgotten. (I was quite pleased to see that while Viola has stepped into the role of loving mother to her stepchildren, an affection they clearly return, Marcel still turns to Estelle the morning of her wedding and tells her that her mother would be proud of her.) Meanwhile, Justin is working to weld the various parts of his family together: his half-sister, his mother’s family, his father’s family, his stepmother’s family, and the family he made for himself in his exile. And despite the difficult past history, they do come together, and try to support one another, as families should.

Forgiveness, healing, and the value of family: things we can all use more of right now. Another perfectly pleasurable read from Ms. Balogh.

While I can't fault Balogh's expertise, this one wasn't my favorite. The characters don't interact until a good portion through the story, and what plot there was and many of the dialogue felt repetitive from other titles in this series. I can't say this is one that will stick in my mind for long.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

When I was in my teens, I enjoyed romances...primarily Marion Chesney Regencies. By my mid-twenties I had given up romances, as they became racier...more about sex and less about actual romance. I really didn't read romances for a very long time (decades!), but have very selectively picked up a few in the past couple of years and enjoyed them. I read the first novel of Mary Balogh's Westcott series last summer, when I didn't have anything else to read. I enjoyed it immensely and have rapidly worked my way through the entire series. Oh, if only all romances were as well written as Mary Balogh's books! And there was ROMANCE, not just lust!

In Someone Perfect, Lady Estelle Lamarr and her twin brother agree to visit their neighbor, Maria Wiley, at her new home. Maria has long been estranged from her brother, who is now her guardian, and he hopes that having friends present will help her adjust to the move. Fairly predictably, Justin Wiley, the Earl of Brandon, is just exactly what Estelle is NOT looking for in a husband. The fun, of course, is how Estelle learns more about the dour and mysterious man and realized that she does have feelings for him. Yes, it's predictable....Hello? It's a romance! There are certain set expectations! But Mary Balogh makes the whole thing so very enjoyable. I look forward to the next title in the series (and will have to find her earlier books to read as well). Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for a very enjoyable weekend read!

ahhhh, another great read from mary Balogh!
Justin and Estelle may be one of my favorite couples in this series. Mainly, i think because they were more "adults" who had real life experiences and lives of their own before they met.
This book, unlike the others, is a great stand alone, even though it is even better if you have read the other books so that you have some background.
I loved the slow burn romance of these two, and even though it might not have been as "spicy" as some of the others in the series, it fit the book!

This is a great book for readers who loved the Bridgerton series and are looking for something else in that genre.

I loved Estelle and Justin- they both have great internal conflicts and I love that we get enough of their pasts without too much exposition. Justin might be my new favorite, and I loved getting a closer look at the Lamar siblings. Very emotional, just a special book. Damn near perfect!

As always, a "perfect" read from Balogh. That said, there is very little plot in this one besides the main couple getting together and the amount of relatives, new and old, was dizzying and quite confusing. I said it before, I'll say it again, I would like the next couple to fall in love on a desert island where no relatives can get at them.

SOMEONE PERFECT is like a good country house party. In Mary Balogh's latest, Lady Estelle Lamarr--whose father, Marcel, married the former Westhaven matriarch a decade ago--gets her own story. Estelle and her brother live a quiet life in the country, and watch over their young neighbor Maria, whose mother died after a long illness. When Maria's brother Justin, the Earl of Brandon, comes to take her back to the family estate, Justin is surprised to find that his formerly loving sister seems to hate him. So he invites Estelle and Bertrand to join them for a few weeks, to help acclimate Maria to her new home.

Overall a really good read, if a lot of past characters for new readers to get confused by.