The Escape
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Balogh (The Arrangement, 2013) continues her Survivor's Club series. Samantha McKay, a raven-haired young widow with Gypsy, Welsh, and English ancestry, was married and disillusioned at 17, followed by a year under the thumb of her tyrannical father-in-law and five years of nursing her dying husband. In deep mourning and constrained by her sister-in-law's Puritanism, she wants to break free. Her only respite are brief walks around the grounds with her sympathetic mutt. Sir Benedict Harper was wounded in the Napoleonic Wars and told he would never walk again, but he has proven everyone wrong with the use of two canes. Then he nearly kills Samantha and her dog while jumping a hedge on his horse. Their subsequent friendship results in a summons from Samantha's father-in-law that would wrest her from her home and lock her into grief and gloom for the rest of her life. Remembering an inheritance of some kind in Wales, she decides to set out on her own, escorted by Ben. As always, Balogh's scarred protagonists find deep wells of strength and generosity within as well as experiencing great sexual tension and forging tender relationships.--Tixier Herald, Diana Copyright 2010 Booklist

Bestseller Balogh delivers an outstanding third installment (after The Arrangement) of her Survivors' Club series, in which seven friends recover from physical and mental wounds suffered in the Napoleonic Wars. Sir Benedict Harper has spent six years learning how to walk again with the help of two canes. With little to connect him to society, he feels lonely and purposeless. When he encounters his sister's recently widowed neighbor, Samantha McKay, their friendship begins a healing process for both of them. Bullied by her in-laws, Samantha escapes to a cottage in Wales, with Sir Benedict as her escort. In a twist, she rejects the marriage of convenience Balogh has used successfully elsewhere; instead, a physical relationship brings the couple even closer. As always, Balogh depicts a wounded hero with sensitivity. This exquisitely written Regency will appeal to Balogh's legions of fans and can be read independently of others in the series. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Still in mourning for her faithless husband and kept a virtual prisoner by her sour sister-in-law's puritanical dictates about proper behavior, Samantha McKay finally evades her jailer and sneaks out with her unruly dog for a quiet walk, only to be knocked to the ground when a horse and his dashing rider vault over the hedge-and the man furiously blames her for the accident. Badly crippled during the -Napoleonic Wars, Sir Benedict Harper, now thoroughly repentant and -really quite charming, shows up at her door, though, and Samantha instinctively recognizes a kindred spirit trapped in an unwanted life. Then fate takes a hand and sends them heading to Wales and a future they never dreamed could be theirs. The salutary effects of the sea, the stark, glorious beauty of the Welsh coast, and a bounty of fascinating, well-defined secondary characters make this a story to savor. VERDICT A heroine who has never felt valued and a hero in search of a new purpose learn to take life as it comes and live each moment to the fullest. This tender, deeply insightful, and beautifully plotted romance shimmers with hope, possibility, and love. Balogh (The Arrangement) lives in Canada. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Sir Benedict Harper is struggling to find his place in the world after his wounds force him out of the army; in helping his neighbor Samantha McKay escape her stifling in-laws, he expects to feel satisfaction but may find salvation. After nursing her needy, difficult husband through a lingering illness to his death, Samantha hopes for a little peace but is thwarted by her sister-in-laws oppressive visit, which demands rigid expectations during their mourning. When a slight transgression finds her under the ever tightening screws of her husbands family, Samantha decides to travel to Wales, where her mother grew up. Under duress, she means to discuss her plans with Lady Gramley, her nearest friendly neighbor, but winds up meeting the ladys brother instead. Unwilling to let Samantha travel alone, Benedict agrees to help her escape her in-laws as long as she agrees to let him travel with her and see her safely to her destination. Along the way, Samantha realizes how dire the injuries to his legs were and recognizes the determination and fighting spirit that allowed him to heal enough to walk again, albeit with canes. And once they reach her mothers village, Samantha learns that many of her beliefs regarding her family were false, at first to her outrage, then to her slowly building sense of hope and possibility. Meanwhile, as feelings grow on both sides, Samantha and Benedict are wary of expressing themselves for fear of unworthiness and unrequited affection. However, Samanthas reunion with her family may offer new opportunities for Benedict, too, while giving the couple time to explore their ambitions and their emotions. Regency romance star Balogh continues her poignant Survivors Club series with a quietly intense love story that speaks to open-heartedness, courage and faith in new beginnings. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.