1818. With family responsibilities discharged and her fiftieth birthday fast approaching, Clarissa Ware, Dowager Countess of Stratton, retires home for a quiet summer alone to ponder her future. Though they welcome her company and love her deeply, her family no longer really needs her. Might it be time to think of her own wishes, for a change? Perhaps renew her acquaintance with Matthew Taylor, her close childhood friend?

But though born a gentleman, Matthew has rejected his birthright and become a village carpenter, albeit of more than common artistic talent. The gap in their social status has widened, and the Regency era is oppressively hierarchical, especially at the higher levels. Can they span the gap? Do they want to? How will others react?

This is a second chance romance which confronts not only Clarissa and Matthew with challenges, but their families too. If they want to find true happiness and fulfilment, however, they must take risks: leave behind the comfort of their familiar pattern of life; recognize that ‘all humanity was flawed’ and acknowledge their own failings; forgive others and, most importantly, themselves. Not an easy journey, but one conducted with Balogh’s customary wisdom and grace.

Highly recommended.

I just loved this second chance romance! It was so much fun watching Clarissa and Matthew find their way back to one another!

Reading Mary Balogh is like sitting down with an old friend. Her stories are always full of love, family and second chances and this story was no exception.

At 51 and 50 respectively, Clarissa and Matthew are a little older than most regency hero and heroine's and they have both lived full lives full of love, sorrow, laughter and regret. I really appreciated Balogh having them both ponder and sit with what they wanted their life to look like now, while also wondering if an old friend could fit into their beginnings (Clarissa and Matthew were childhood friends until Clarissa got married at age 17 and have only seen each as acquintances in the years since). I will admit, I am getting a little tired of all of Balogh's extended family following the predictable plot line of years of estrangement fixed with a simple "It was just a misunderstanding!" and hugs. Life, and families, are not that easily fixed. That said, the real world is hard so if an author wants to fixed eveything with a magical wand, who am I to complain? And it made the pain that Matthew had been carrying around for years be diminished so I can't be too annoyed.

I liked Clarissa and Matthew and I'm happy they got choose a future for themselves. I am also very excited for Clarissa's daughter Stephanie's story because it has been teased a few times in the previous books (her big old crush on Betrand Lamarr from the Westcott series) so I hope it's coming soon. And not the least because we share the same name!

Mary Balogh gives us the fourth of her Remember series in Remember When, a splendid regency romance celebrating romance in the senior years.
The dowager countess of Stratton at age 50 has come back to the estate of Ravenswood. She re engages with her teenage friend Matthew Taylor, born a gentleman and currently a property owner who is living as the village carpenter. Families reconcile and romance wins over village and ton prejudices. Splendid reading.

Mary Balogh is truly a class apart when it comes to historical romance. No one else writes like her and truly no one else can capture such a tender and aching slow building romance like she does. I loved getting the matriarch romance and I LOVED that she was older than the typical 19! Another fantastic book from Mary!

Remember When by Mary Balogh is the 4th book in her Ravenwood series, with this being Clarissa’s Story. Clarissa will soon turn 50, as she is now The Dowager Countess of Stratton; Devlin’s mother. Clarissa returns to Ravenswood, after spending time in London, where she presented her youngest daughter, Stephanie. Clarissa is happy to return to Ravenswood, giving herself quiet time alone, as well as peace.
Clarissa goes to see Matthew Taylor, and old childhood friend, as she commissions him make a crib for Ben and Jennifer. Matthew is a fantastic carpenter, with people becoming fascinated by his work. It’s been many years (30) since they have met again, as they were best friends, but Clarissa decided to marry the Earl of Stratten, and Matthew later married another woman. 30 years later, their friendship deepens into a possible romance, as they begin to enjoy spending the summer going on long walks

Clarrisa enjoys her private time alone, but her children keep visiting her, as they worry about her. Rumors start of her growing friendship with Matthew, with her family learning about these rumors. Clarissa dreams of having her own cottage on Ravenswood land, but closer to the river. Both spend a lot of time together, and Matthew enjoys helping Clarissa on what the cottage would look like. Matthew and Clarissa become closer with renewed passion and the chance to change their lives in a new direction.

When Devlin visits his mother, he agrees with what she wants, as he will pay for it, but she will pay for what is inside the cottage; Clarissa is thrilled. Matthew also learns some thoughts from his younger years, as his older brother (previously estranged), now becoming very close again, visiting his family. I really loved seeing so many of the previous families, especially when they all get together for the epilogue, where Clarissa and Matthew marry.

Remember When was a sweet second chance romance, with them finding their renewed love. Remember When was so very well written by Mary Balogh. If you are a fan of this series, you should read this book.

Balogh's Ravenswood series around the Ware family and it's matriarch Clarissa's turn to find love.

Before she married the Earl of Stratton, Clarissa was a Greenfield and her best friend was Matthew Taylor. Matthew was the younger son of a nearby land owner so their friendship was a little over the line considering how wealthy her family was but nothing scandalous. Though they loved each other, Clarissa had a chance to marry the catch of the season and she loves him too. Was that a mistake? Now in her early fifties, she is wondering that fact. But she doesn't think so. Though she and her husband did not have a true love match, they did love each other. But he's gone and Matthew is still here. What could that mean for them?
Matthew was heartbroken when Clarissa married. He also married but his wife died in childbirth. He left to travel the world but returned to the place where he grew up. Now, he's the village carpenter, making beautiful furniture. That's the reason Clarissa stops by, to request a cradle for her coming grandchild.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out January 7, 2025
Ravenswood #4
Follows Always Remember
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group
Opinions are my own

I love Mary Balogh's historical romances. I discovered her a couple of years ago and was thrilled to realize she has a large back catalog, which I've been working my way through. 

Remember When is her newest book, and it's an absolute delight. It features two older protagonists. And by older, I don't mean a 27-year-old wallflower and a 35-year-old widower. Here the heroine is 49 and the hero 50.

Clarissa and Matthew were childhood friends who were beginning to fall in love, but life took them in different directions. Clarissa married an earl, and now she's a widow with five children and a growing number of grandchildren. Matthew was born a gentleman, but he's estranged from his family and he's taken on a profession that's considered to be below his station (he's a carpenter and a very talented woodworker).

Clarissa has come to her country estate to figure out her next steps, as she's in a bit of a midlife crisis. Her youngest child is out in society, her daughter-in-law runs the estate, and Clarissa needs to figure out what she wants from the rest of her life. Her journey is realistic and pretty timeless, as women are still figuring out the same things now.

This romance has a major class difference. When they were children, Clarissa and Matthew were both from landed gentry families. Her family was more prominent, but the difference wasn't a big one. Then she married into the aristocracy and moved up a class, while Matthew left his original life behind and became working class (he still has an estate he inherited from his grandmother, so he has the option of going back to his original position, but instead he rents the estate out and remains as a carpenter).

This story is very sweet and well done, and I felt that the characters' motivations really made sense. I definitely recommend this one if you're in the mood for a gentle romance.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early review copy.

I was excited to read this, I usually love Mary Balogh's romance, and this one features a protagonist who, like me, is in her mid-50s and entering the next stage of her life now that her children are grown. This is also a second-chance romance, which I generally enjoy. All signs pointed to greatness.

Alas ...

This was approximately 90% internal monologue (or exposition), much of it repeated, and only 10% actual dialogue or action. This needed to be a novella, not a full-length novel. As it is now, it is tedious, a long slow slog of tell rather than show. I expect better of Ms Balogh than that morass. A firm editor should have stepped in and highlighted every time information was repeated, and then cut all of it away.

I skimmed all of the monologuing morass and read the parts with active dialogue. It's not a bad story if read that way.

She does a good job of briefly describing the joy of mellowing with age:
<blockquote><i>
One thing age has taught me, however, is that one ought not to be deceived when one is at an extreme into believing that it is permanent. The worst unhappiness fades, as does the brightest happiness. One learns to flow with life’s ups and downs if one is to know a pervading contentment.</i></blockquote>

I DO like that the cover art depicts a very pivotal moment in the story. It's so nice when the cover art actually follows the plot!!! Well done to the cover designer!!

An empty-nester dowager countess returns to the quiet of the home estate after the last of her children is presented and on her way. With no obligations or duty to others, she is at a loss. Is a second chance with a youthful first love a possibility or has the time for that passed? Mary Balogh’s soft reflective tone of writing was perfect for this middle-aged second chance romance.

Remember When is the fourth book in a strongly connected Regency era series which reads best in order to follow all the family and friend connections present in the book.

I felt this one had something of a fairytale touch to it or a governess- aristocratic employer gender swap. A pair of old childhood friends who went their separate ways putting them in two distinct social classes, now have come back together after living completely disparate lives. They reconnect strongly and pick up a friendship where they left it on the cusp of adulthood. A Dowager Countess and a village carpenter who had been the wild second son of a gentleman with small estate is quite the social gap. I like fairytales so I went with it wondering just how much conflict from her grown children, their extended families, and friends would come of it.

Like others from this author, Remember When took its time. It lagged in places and repeated itself, but it also developed the characters and plot with amazing complexity so their thoughts and feelings were real to me. I felt no strong pull to tear through it quickly, but to visit it as a comfy, gentle read. Remember When was nostalgic and family-oriented with the romance coming along after the reader is brought up to speed with their separate pasts, and sorting out their individual present concerns like Matthew finally dealing with the long estrangement he had with his own family and Clarissa getting her children and extended family used to her turning a corner in her life.

All in all, this was a historical with romance being one of its elements albeit a strong one rather than the only focus. The characters were engaging, attractive and well-placed in a carefully drawn world and Regency country estate- village setting. Those who enjoy old-school Regency Romance should definitely give this series a try.

Mary Balogh returns the family matriarch to the Ravenswood estate for first summer on her own after seeing to the launch of her last daughter into the ton. Now Clarissa Ware, the Dowager Countess will take time to reevaluate and take stock of her life after 30 years of marriage and motherhood have taken priority over herself.

Step one: rekindle old friendships!

Claire and Mathew were the best of friends until her marriage to the earl. Now with his death six years ago, she decides to see if there’s something still there.

Matthew Taylor isn’t the rebellious gentleman that he used to be, he is now the local carpenter and a tradesmen just lives above the blacksmith shop.

How can Clarissa and Mathew after all these years reach across the divide of their now stations to rekindle a friendship… or maybe even more without scandalizing their friends, family, and neighbours?

Another absolutely beautiful story full of love, family and hope as these two mature characters find a second chance at love and the strength to fight past society expectations to choose their own happiness.

It was definitely worth the wait for Clarissa and Matthew - classic Mary Balogh! This is an extreme slow burn romance that was beautiful to read in Balogh’s style, but did feel like it could have been anovella. A few elements felt like they were repeated unnecessarily but overall, it was a lovely romance, and I loved seeing the parents find their HEA before the last book of the series making it not feel like an afterthought.

I enjoyed seeing main characters of a certain age finding love again, and the ending was sweet. However, parts of the book felt bogged down by too many references to characters from past stories, which slowed down the plot. It’s a closed-door romance, so the focus stays on the emotional connection of the main characters.

If you've been reading this series, you already know the details of Clarissa's marriage and subsequent widowhood. If you haven't, Balogh weaves them into this book in a such a way that you won't be lost or confused if this is your first foray to Ravenswood.

I love second chance, reunion romances, especially those between childhood friends who reconnect later in life. But this one has an added layer of challenge. Matthew and Clarissa are from different stations in life, even more significant now that she is a dowager duchess and he is town's carpenter/wood carver. The difference was enough to not cross the line between friendship and love in their youth and is now sure to set tongues wagging when they're observed holding hands on long walks through the park. But they are no longer 17 and 18. They're a mature couple on the cusp of fifty and they know what they want although they are not unaware of the challenges that will need to be conquered to achieve it.

This is such a lovely, endearing novel. I really enjoyed watching Matthew and Clarissa rediscover their friendship and in doing so, rediscover themselves. Clarissa, especially, learns who she is and what she wants - and deserves - outside of being a mother. I love how she begins to take control of her life and how much she - and her relationships with her children - grow as a result. Matthew has no surfeit of growth himself. I enjoyed watching the positive evolution of his relationship with his family, due in no small part to Clarissa's encouragement and support. These two are so good for each other. I loved the caring, joy, fun, and eventually, deep, lasting love that developed between them. I laughed, I cried, and I turned the final page of their novel with a deep, happy, heartfelt sigh.

4.5 stars
ARC received from publisher. Fair and unbiased review.

Book Review: Remember When by Mary Balogh

Clarissa, the Dowager Countess, is at a pivotal time in her life. Her children are grown and mostly settled, and her daughter-in-law has taken over the countess responsibilities. After a season in London, Clarissa returns home to Ravenswood and looks forward to the quiet and tranquility of being alone to reflect who she is as a person and what she wants in this next chapter of her life. There’s another thing Clarissa plans to do: renew her childhood friendship with Matthew Taylor.

Matthew Taylor lives a contented life as the village’s carpenter even though he was raised as a gentleman. His younger years were filled with strife railing against strict parents that didn’t understand him. The only one who listened and gave him comfort was Clarissa. He was half in love with her by the time they were teenagers, but things didn’t work out and they married others. Matthew was widowed soon after. He spent many years coming to peace with his past and has led a quiet, contented life until Clarissa comes back to town.

Loved the way Matthew and Clarissa just picked up again after so many years. They just got each other so well. Of course, their friendship was noted right away and there was talk since their societal positions were so different, but I’m happy with how it was all handled. They both had wonderful family and friends to support them!

Remember When was low angst and heartwarming! The characters and the situations they faced felt real-to-life and relatable. Neither Clarissa nor Matthew led a problem-free life, but each were mature and okay on their own. Finding romance was an unexpected joy for them and their story filled my heart with happiness!

Ah! Whenever I need a romance reset, I reach for a Mary Balogh book. They never disappoint!

This one was so refreshing with MC's reaching 50 years old.

One thing I would note, is that this book is not very dialogue heavy. Be prepared for long stretches of the characters deep in their own thoughts. It was a little slow at times but not in a bad way. I enjoyed the way it made me slow down and savor the story.

Never hesitate to read a Mary Balogh romance.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Reading one of Mary Balogh's novels is like sinking into a warm bath or sipping the perfect cup of tea - her novels are emotionally powerful with thoroughly developed characters and relationships. I also enjoy that she brings happy endings to all of her characters, not just the younger generation.

REMEMBER WHEN: Clarissa’s Story (A Ravenswood Novel Book #4) by Mary Balogh is a historical, mature, second chance at love story in this continuing Regency romance series featuring the Ware family. This novel is easily read as a standalone romance, but I have enjoyed reading the series in order.

Clarissa Ware, the Dowager Countess of Stratton, returns to Ravenswood for the summer for the first time without any of her children or other obligations. She is turning fifty and feels adrift in her personal life. Six years a widow, all her children grown, and her daughter-in-law assuming all the duties of being the Countess of Stratton, she wishes for solitude to decide on her future, but fate intercedes.

Matthew Taylor was born a gentleman and second son of landowners but is spending his life as the village carpenter and master woodworker. As a young man, he was a neighbor of Clarissa’s family and they were the closest of friends from childhood to seventeen years of age, but he knew he would never be suitable for her, and she accepted the proposal of the Earl of Stratton.

When Clarissa seeks out her old friend, they discover the attraction is still there. Clarissa has always upheld all expectations from society and her family. Can their renewed friendship and mature attraction overcome society’s restraints and family concerns and turn into something more?
I always look forward to returning to the Ware family of Ravenswood. This mature romance did not disappoint, and I was very happy that Clarissa finally found herself, not just what was expected of her. This is a slow burn romance due to the time period, society’s rules, and the side plot which has Matthew having to resolve his own old family issues to move on. That said, there is also a bit too much repetition especially in the beginning of the story, but I feel the romance and HEA are satisfying overall. I am looking forward to reading more of the remaining unattached siblings’ stories in the future.

An enjoyable historical, mature, second chance romance addition to this series.

Dear Mary Balogh,

Those who read Always Remember may recall that the carpenter in the village of Boscombe made Lady Jennifer Arden a wheeled chair and a new crutch, both of which helped her become mobile in a way she had not been before. That carpenter was Matthew Taylor.

As it happens, Matthew Taylor was born and raised a gentleman on the property neighbouring that of Clarissa Greenfield and her family. Clarissa, now the Dowager Countess of Stratton and Matthew were very close as children, spending most of their summer days and many of the winter ones too, together. When Clarissa was 17 and Matthew was 18, everything changed. Clarissa was in anticipation of an offer of marriage from the Earl of Stratton and it would not be possible for Matthew and Clarissa to remain friends. Both were half in love with one another at the time but each understood that a relationship between them would not have worked – at least, not then. (Most of what I know about social mores in the Regency era is from romance novels but I wondered if it was entirely realistic that a mixed gender couple of that age would be allowed such freedom and privacy, even in the country?)

Matthew was a rebellious and “sullen” child/young man. He did not fit in with his family and was forever getting into trouble. His parents were unimaginative and puritanical. They had a very strict sense of what their son should be and would not waver from it. Matthew had been close with his elder brother, Reggie, as a young boy but something changed between them and all of a sudden, Reggie became stern and distant, telling Matthew that they could not do anything fun together unless Matthew was obedient to their parents – something that just wasn’t going to happen.

Readers of the series know what happened to Clarissa. She married Caleb Ware and raised five children of her own (Devlin, Nicholas, Phillipa, Owen and Stephanie) and one not her own (Ben). Caleb was a cheating cheatypants and there was a great scandal when it was discovered by Devlin in the night of the Ravenswood summer fete about ten years before this book is set. Now a widow, Clarissa has presided over Stephanie’s launch into society, leaving her at something of a crossroads. For the first time, she is now thinking of what she might want to do with her life and has decided to spend some time alone (relatively speaking that is) at Ravenswood to do it. Clarissa left London two months before the season ended, much to the shock and dismay of her family and travelled back to Ravenswood on her own (relatively speaking).

Ben and Jennifer are expecting their first child together and Clarissa decides to call upon Matthew to ask him to design and build a crib as her gift to them when the baby is born. As well as a carpenter, Matthew is a talented wood artist, carving designs which appear to have life and movement.

More than the crib though, Clarissa wants to see whether they might rekindle their friendship which was put on pause 33 years earlier.

Much of the book is Clarissa and Matthew finding themselves or resolving outstanding hurts. Each is on something of a journey of self-discovery. The romance which develops between them felt much more subtle than in the other books of the series (or previous series’). While they spent a lot of time together (much to the keen interest of the local gossips), their romance was quiet and slow-moving.

Matthew married a woman five years his senior after Clarissa married Caleb. That woman was pregnant with (probably) his child. His daughter was stillborn and his wife died suddenly of complications following the birth. He then left home and travelled in Europe and East Asia for 10 years. When he returned, he did not go home. His parents had passed away by that point and his brother had inherited the farm and family mansion but Matthew did not go there. He went instead to Boscombe and set up shop as a carpenter, living simply and quietly, eschewing societal mores about class.

The biggest complication in a relationship between Matthew and Clarissa is the difference in their stations. Matthew was born a gentleman – something the book (and many characters in it) is quick to remind the reader – but he is also the local carpenter. And Clarissa is a countess.

Matthew has income from a property adjoining that of his brother, which was formerly owned by their grandmother. He’s not been to the property since he left England after the death of his wife and daughter. He leased the property out and keeps the income aside, preferring to live by his own means.

Over the course of the book, as the tongues wag and just about all of Clarissa’s family members come to Ravenswood to find out what is going in and ultimately to give their approval of her relationship with Matthew, the couple become close and at least two paths become available to them to find their HEA. I suppose one has to suspend disbelief a little more than usual to buy it but it was fairly clear to me that Clarissa did not intend to spend very much or any time in London with the haute ton and would prefer a quiet life in the country with Matthew, whatever that looked like.

Matthew finds out some information about his family that causes him to rethink his stance; Clarissa decides what she wants to do in the next phase of her life. Along the way, they rekindle their love. It did not feel like the romance was the main story really. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it is a thing I noted.

I was a little apprehensive when Matthew started to talk about his time in India and possibly Nepal (or thereabouts, it wasn’t exactly specified). There has been some cultural insensitivity in previous books. Overall, I think the author did better this time round. The discussion of the culture was respectful. The Indian (or Nepalese) characters were still not named however. So, better, but not great.

In the first book of the Ravenswood series, Remember Love, Devlin was sent away from home after the disastrous scandal caused by his public accusation of his father’s infidelity. Devlin didn’t handle that situation very well and Caleb was a cheater but I never did quite understand why Clarissa sent him away afterwards. I never did feel it was properly addressed when Devlin finally returned home and eventually made peace with his mother. In this book, the subject is touched upon, with three slightly different explanations.

“I believed the world as I knew it had come to an end. I sent Devin away. He saw it as open rejection on my part, and in some way perhaps he was right—to my shame. But mostly, I believe, I wanted to shield him from the crashing inward of his world. For he had not known. I do not believe any of our children had.”

I thought this explanation was very convenient and I did not believe it for a second.

But had she been equally weak? Had she convinced herself that it was better to have half a life than none at all? Had Devlin’s moral outrage when he found his father up in the temple with that woman in the middle of a ball exposed her own weakness of character as much as it had Caleb’s? Was that why she had sent Devlin away? Had it been not so much to protect him as to save herself from having to look inward and admit the truth about herself?

Getting closer, Clarissa.

“We must not judge,” her mother said, rubbing her hand in a light circle over Clarissa’s back. “None of us are perfect. None of us behave wisely all the time, especially toward our own children, whom we love most in the world.”

“Like the time I sent Devlin away and he cut himself off completely from us for six interminable years,” Clarissa said.

And at this point I was feeling like she was just about there. But then:

“I let you down very badly once, Devlin,” she said. “I sent you away because you had tried to defend my honor publicly. I suffered for that decision for six long years. I suffered because I love you, as I love all my children, perhaps more than I love my own life.

Then Clarissa went and ruined it all by making it all about her. Lady – you sent him away and you suffered? Boo hoo. Why should he feel bad for you about that??

So, four books in, I still don’t think there has been sufficient explanation or grovel from Clarissa about banishing her eldest son in favour of her cheating husband. I don’t think it will be addressed at all in future books. The above is the best I’ll get. It did not satisfy me but YMMV.

If I forget about my feelings toward Clarissa over sending Devlin away, I otherwise liked her well enough. To some extent, her sending Devlin away did seem like something that happened for plot reasons rather than being based on character. Matthew was an interesting character because he was described as difficult, troubled and sullen as a boy. I’m not sure I would have liked him and I don’t quite know why Clarissa did back then either, to be honest. But the Matthew Taylor who is nearly 51 is a good man, even-tempered and comfortable in his own skin and I liked him very much. I felt some discomfort that the “saving grace” to their social acceptance as a couple was Matthew’s status as a gentleman by birth. It’s unfair because that’s how it was back then. But viewed from here I still felt some discomfort about it. And, contrarily I wondered if the social acceptance they found was verging on preposterous, even within the confines of a romance book. What can I say? I contain multitudes.

Remember When felt quiet and introspective. I did not struggle to read it or to finish it. I liked it well enough but I do not think it is one of the author’s better books and it’s not one I expect to revisit.

Grade: B-/C+

Regards,
Kaetrin

Beloved best-selling author Mary Balogh continues her Ravenswood series with her latest enthralling historical romance, Remember When.

Clarissa Ware, the Dowager Countess of Stratton, can at long last do as she pleases. Having just presented her youngest daughter to the Ton, Clarissa returns to Ravenswood for the summer where she plans to enjoy some quiet time by herself free of commitments and tightly-packed schedules. However, little does the dowager countess realize that fate has a huge surprise up its sleeve – a face from her past which she has never quite managed to forget: her childhood friend, Matthew Taylor.

Despite of the vast social chasm that divided them, Matthew and Clarissa had been great friends as children. Yet their friendship never could develop into anything deeper because Clarissa was the daughter of a very wealthy family – unlike Matthew who was in possession of a very modest fortune. Clarissa had subsequently made a very suitable match by marrying an earl while Matthew had wed and been widowed shortly after. When they are brought together again after years apart, Matthew and Clarissa quickly discover that their old feelings for one another are as strong as ever…

With the burden of duty and responsibility having been lifted off both of their shoulders, will Matthew and Clarissa grab this second chance at happiness with both hands? Dare they dream of a happy future together? Or will their doubts and fears end up tearing them asunder yet again?

Mary Balogh’s historical romances are in a class of their own. Beautifully written, wonderfully emotional and achingly romantic, they never fail to satisfy even the most jaded and discerning of readers and this outstanding storyteller has done it again with Remember When.

Hopeful, heartfelt and immensely enjoyable, Remember When is a tender and touching tale about love lost and found, taking a chance on happiness and the magic of reconnecting with one’s soulmate that will tug at every reader’s heartstrings.

With characters it is impossible not to care about, exquisite period details and a love story readers will remember long after the last page is turned, Remember When is another dazzling historical romance from Mary Balogh’s very talented pen.

REMEMBER WHEN, the fourth book in Author Mary Balogh's Ravenswood Series, highlights two characters facing midlife crisis's while deciding what to do with their remaining years. It's a book about self-discovery, second chances and choices. It's a sweet love story.

The Dowager Countess of Stratton, Clarissa Ware Greenfield, has returned home to Ravenswood after the last of her children left the nest, launching happy lives of their own. Clarissa seeks solitude in which to contemplate her life choices, both good and bad, and decide what to do as a soon-to-be fifty-year-old widow on her own for the first time in many years. Who is she now that she's no longer a wife and her children don't need her? Her thoughts turn to her childhood friend, Matthew Taylor, and what might have been if she'd made different choices all those years ago. Matthew left the country for ten long years after the death of his wife and newborn child, eventually returning to become the town's carpenter even though he's a gentleman's son. He's content with his low-key life and has no desire to claim his heritage. Clarissa hopes to resume a friendship of sorts with Matthew and uses the excuse of commissioning him to build a crib for her grandchild in order to speak with him. As talks about the crib turn to long walks around Ravenswood, a reconnection of hearts, souls and desires occurs leaving the two with a big decision. Neither knows what the future holds, but self-reflection reveals the answer...if they're brave enough to embrace it.

Author Mary Balogh has rendered another heartfelt love story that tugs on readers' hearts with REMEMBER WHEN. As always, characters are well-developed and worthy of our empathy. The self-reflection/discovery journey traveled by both Matthew and Claire allows readers a front row seat to the turmoil and need for resolution felt by both characters. Strong support characters round out a cast filled with family and friends. Balogh honors the traditions and setting of the small-town time period, and I love that the main characters refuse to be cowered by expectations any longer. Fans of second chance, mature relationship, heartfelt historical romance will enjoy this one!