Review ‘Only a Kiss’ by Mary Balogh

The Survivors’ Club: Six men and one woman, injured in the Napoleonic Wars, their friendships forged in steel and loyalty. But for one, her trials are not over…

Since witnessing the death of her husband during the wars, Imogen, Lady
Barclay, has secluded herself in the confines of Hardford Hall, their home in
Cornwall. The new owner has failed to take up his inheritance, and Imogen
desperately hopes he will never come to disturb her fragile peace.

Percival Hayes, Earl of Hardford, has no interest in the wilds of Cornwall, but
when he impulsively decides to pay a visit to his estate there, he is shocked
to discover that it is not the ruined heap he had expected. He is equally
shocked to find the beautiful widow of his predecessor’s son living there.

Soon Imogen awakens in Percy a passion he has never thought himself capable of
feeling. But can he save her from her misery and reawaken her soul? And what
will it mean for him if he succeeds?

‘Only a Kiss’ is already the sixth book in the Survivors
Club Series by Mary Balogh. It is the second book in this series I read. The
first one I read was ‘Only a Promise’, the fifth book in the series and I
absolutely loved that book. Although this is a series, this book can be read as
a standalone.

In ‘Only a Kiss’ we meet Imogen, a widower since she lost
her husband in the Napoleonic Wars almost eight years ago. Imogen still lives
in her late husband’s old home, Hardford Hall in Cornwall, but since her
father-in-law also died two years ago there is a new owner. But since the new
owner still hasn’t visited Hardford Hall, Imogen is determined to live her life
in peace in the only place she calls home.

One day, after celebrating his thirtieth birthday, Percy,
the Earl of Hardford decides to escape his perfect but boring life, and travel
to his estate in Cornwall. There are some big surprises waiting for Percy in
Hardford Hall, but the biggest one is meeting Imogen, the woman he soon calls
the Marble Lady.

I just love historical novels. And ever since I read the fifth
book in the Survivor Club Series, I couldn’t wait to read more books by Mary
Balogh. So I was over the moon when I received this book and I was not disappointed.
The writing is yet again very nice to read and easy to follow. And everything
is really well described. I could easily imagine the characters walking through
Hardford Hall.

‘Only a Kiss’ is a sweet, funny and passionate book that
is perfect for reading with a nice cup of hot tea in your hands. It just
screams coziness if you ask me. And I love the etiquettes of these times and
the way everything just seemed more romantic.

The two main characters are fun to read about, and I
especially loved reading about how Imogen and Percy’s relationship came from despising
one another to loving each other.

I loved strong female characters, and Imogen really is
all that. I loved her character and how she stood up for herself. But above all
I loved her stubbornness. It really made for some interesting encounters with
the Earl.

This book was very enjoyable and I would really recommend
this series. 

Mary Jenkins was born on 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK.
After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach
high-school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her
Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher
and Sian. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She
also enjoys watching tennis and curling.

Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a
Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her
married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her
dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost
thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling Slightly sextet
and Simply quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling
Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a
finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B.
Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime
Achievement Award.

For more information about Mary Balogh and her books please visit her website and Facebook.