Where Kit and Lauren Rescue Each Other

A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my second title by this author, and I really liked the book--again--even though this is not my genre or surely didn't used to be. (I've always liked Jane Austen, and more recently have enjoyed Georgette Heyer, so maybe I've been sneaking up on these books over time.)

The first one I read on a sort of whim. It's not condescending to remark that I was very surprised to like it--the criticism is for the reader, not the book. But I did like it, quite a bit, and decided to try others by the same author. I'm glad I did.

I don't know enough about romance in general or Regency romance in particular to say whether or not this is a remarkable writer or book, but I thought it was really good. It was touching, thoughtful (in a "hey, that's kinda wise" way), sexy, and literally laugh out loud funny in places, with a compelling, emotionally satisfying, and appropriately complex plot.

The setup of the story is sort of a stock arrangement, familiar in movies anyway, where the FMC and the MMC agree to pose as an engaged couple for a period of time for reasons that make sense for both of them. This is perhaps the weakest part of the story, a little cliched, but it has sufficient character and plot justifications to make it acceptable. Once past that, the story is fresh and entertaining, with sufficient stakes and secondary plots to make it fun to pick up each time.

Kit is a familiar sort of rake, a complex man with difficulties in his history and his psyche that he disguises underneath behavior bordering on the scandalous. That he is deeper and more consequential than he appears is a given, though his revelations through the course of the story are expertly handled and very believable. Lauren, the FMC, is even more of a surprise and more engaging (for me)--a prim, almost prudish woman in a prudish era who has personal biographical reasons to be that way, though she is hiding even from herself the person she might truly be in a different world. Again, I don't know enough yet to say whether it is the genre in general or Mary Balogh in particular who is behind it, but both books I've read by her are very concerned with characters becoming authentically themselves, and the way they discover what that means is, for me, at least as engrossing as the romantic relationship (which is entirely enjoyable). Trauma and disappointment and fear and hurt stand in the way of many of the characters, and it is the genius of Lauren and Kit both that they are able to untangle many old problems plaguing their families--all in a way that feels genuine and organic.

Happy ending, of course. Also a given. But it arrives in a satisfying way that makes perfect sense. Well done all around. 5 stars.

With recent (2026) Booktok discourse regarding "anti-intellectualism" and the worth of genre fiction being very much on my mind, I have to note that I am not now nor am I ever passing judgment on the value or cultural relevance or intrinsic worth (whatever that means) of any work of art. Not only is that sort of critique beyond me, it's beyond everyone else, too, and I will gladly argue the point with anyone at any time. When I review a book, all I can do is give some indication of how much I enjoyed it, how I subjectively reacted to it. I read for enjoyment, and this was enjoyable, so... mission accomplished.

My recommendation (or prediction, really) is that if you are an Austen reader or a romance reader, you will probably like this book. If you read Heyer or other Regency-type novels, you will almost certainly like it. Everyone else--who knows? Maybe you would, too. Anyway, if I'm wrong I'm wrong, but my opinion is free. : )

I'll soon know if this author can go 3 for 3. Fingers crossed.

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