Stephanie
Written on May 24, 2011
Frances Allard is on her way back to Miss Martin's School for girls where she teaches. Frances spent her Christmas break with her two elderly great aunts. The weather is making a turn for the worse when her carriage is over taken by a speeding hellion. Just a short way down the road disaster strikes. The hellion has had to stop and Frances' driver is unable to stop in time. The carriage ends up in a snow drift but Frances is rescued by Lucius Marshall, Viscount Sinclair.
The turn in weather makes travel impossible so Frances, Lucius and their drivers seek shelter in an inn. The innkeepers are away but they have left behind Wally, a pretty much useless servant. Frances and Lucius spend the next few days bickering, laughing, frolicking, learning each other and loving. Both Frances and Lucius understand that once the weather improves they'll be saying good-bye. It's this knowledge that allows Frances to take the risk and live in the moment.
When the time comes; however, Lucius doesn't see why saying good-bye is necessary. Frances is an independent woman and won't live as someone's mistress or even as a kept woman. She can only accept marriage and that isn't an option. Lucius must marry by summer's end and is all but betrothed to another. Frances doesn't want to leave Bath or her teaching position. Fate has other ideas and keeps throwing them together.
Lucius is a strong male role and at times was almost overbearing. Really he was just a determined man who knew his woman was holding back and needed to help fix it. In the end he was a caring man who would do anything to see Frances happy. Frances spends so much time worrying how every thing is going to turn out that she forgets to live. She is content where she is and won't allow herself to reach for happiness, so Lucius reaches for it for both of them. The secondary characters added greatly to the book as well. I found myself wanting to know Lucius' family more. Frances' colleagues were just there enough to make me wonder what secrets their stories hold. I'm looking forward to finding out!
Simply Unforgettable is the type of book that will ruin all others for awhile after you finish it. It is that good. Balogh takes a standard stranded together themed book and twists and shapes it into something new and stunning. Lucius seems doomed to a marriage with someone else and Frances has a mysterious past that stands between them. I was worried about her past and if it was really as big a deal as we were being led to believe. I wasn't disappointed. It isn't an insurmountable problem but it wasn't a small problem either.
Simply Unforgettable is great for someone looking to slip to London for a tea or soiree. If you've read the Wallflower series by Lisa Kleypas, I don't doubt for a minute you'll love Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh!
