Someone to Wed: Alexander's Story (The Westcott Series) Mass Market Paperback – November 7, 2017

Ms Balogh has created a story which grows to be breathtaking. It is tender and delicate and filled with love. We find familial love as well as love between a woman and a man. And it all comes together for a true happily ever after.Alexander Westcott has inherited the title and properties of the Earl of Riverdale. It was never something he sought. It is certainly not something he wants. There is an estate that has literally been run into the ground. To restore the estate and provide for all the people who depend on income and housing will require much more money than Alex has.When he is invited to the home of a neighbor, he believes it is simply another time for him to become acquainted with people in the area. It is something much different.Miss Wren Heyden is a wealthy young woman who has inherited a hugely successful glass business and other properties. Since her Aunt and Uncle died over a year ago, she has lived alone. Wren has lived the last 20 years of her life as a hermit. She has a purple birthmark that covers the entire left side of her face and that mark has kept her isolated from the world. She has never gone in public without being veiled. No one except her late Aunt and Uncle and the servants have seen her face.Wren learned to run the finances and her business from her late Uncle. Her Uncle and Aunt provided an education and a great deal of love and support for her. In the past, Wren has chosen to keep herself separate from the world. Now she wants to marry and have a family. Alex is her third prospect. She is aware of his need for a great deal of money and she has a great deal of money to offer.Wren has not really considered the consequences of her actions. It soon becomes clear to her. Her past has made her terrified of being humiliated in front of others. But, she does not realize that Alex is a man who is very involved with his family. He is an earl who leads a somewhat public life. Living as a hermit is no longer an option for Wren.When the courtship begins there are ups and downs. Alex is a quiet man who is kind hearted and open by nature. Wren is not trusting of anyone and does not believe that anyone can look at her and not see a horror.Wren is exposed to Alex's family one or two people at a time. Her cold and distant manner becomes more and more difficult to maintain. She is being warmed up inspite of herself.The plot is measured in its progress. Every page adds more depth to the story of Wren and Alex and what has brought them to this place. We see the Westcott family and all of them are devoted to one another. There has been difficulty and pain in the past. No one has escaped unscathed. The difficulty and pain has helped create a family that welcomes Wren with open arms.This is the third in a series. But, the explanations and background information allow a new reader to be comfortable within the story.Wren and Alex are wonderful characters. I liked Alex more than Wren. He always considered his actions with the welfare of others in mind. He is kind and gentle and loving but he is heroic when it is needed. He is simply easier to like.Wren comes a long distance from her self imposed isolation to understanding what a family is and how much love there is to share. She has difficulty meeting people until it is obvious she must surrender to the inevitable.The love in this book is like a character which grows and develops as the story moves forward.I am a fan of Mary Balogh. I have loved her writing since I was first introduced to her books. This has gone to the top of my list of favorites.If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

My favorite Balogh novels focus on women who are also individual people in a society where that's not allowed. This is no exception; Wren is a succesful business woman, very practical and thoughtful. I loved her story, even though it felt a bit too smooth and easy (hence the rating of 4 stars). I liked the genuine way she connects with the Westcott family and finds a new life for herself.I do wish Alexander had some character growth independent of the romance, as Balogh has done in some of her other books. That's the other reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars.

"I am twenty-nine years old, very nearly thirty, and I would like . . . someone to wed. In my own person I am not marriageable, but I do have money. And you do not."FINAL DECISION: Absolutely lovely story. This is my favorite of the series so far as the heroine and hero have such a wonderfully adult relationship. Wren is a woman who has been damaged by her past and Alex recognizes and eventually comes to embrace and finally help her free herself.THE STORY: Alexander Westcott unexpectedly becomes the Earl of Riverdale when his cousins are found to be illegitimate, but while he gets the title and the entailed estates, he doesn't inherit any money needed to maintain the properties. As such, he finds himself needing to marry an heiress. Wren Heyden has been a recluse for most of her life, but upon the death of her aunt and uncle wants marriage and children no matter how unlikely. Knowing that she can never hope to obtain a husband in the usual manner, she decides the buy a husband. Propositioning Alex, Wren is surprised that Alex will not agree unless there is something more than money between them. Getting to know and build at least respect and care between them challenges them both.OPINION: Sometimes there are books that I just fall into. As I read, everything just acts to pull me into the story and I am surprised when the book ends. This was one of those books. There was nothing particularly dramatic, but word by word, page by page, I became absorbed in Alex and Wren's story.The story asks for a commitment from the reader as the romance between these two isn't love at first site, but rather a slow building of the connections and emotions and eventually great love between these two. This book is the example of how two strangers fall deeply in love.Alex is a wonderful hero. While surprise inheritance of the title is something that most people would be rejoicing, Alex keenly feels the family pain which caused his inheritance but also the new responsibilities that he has acquired. He is a man who cares and while he knows that his marital choices are limited because he must marry a a fortune, he is unwilling to be mercenary and just be concerned about money. I also greatly admire that he is unwilling to lie to Wren. He is compassionate but also he it truthful about her issues.Wren is a heroine that I loved. Despite the great pain in her past and her conviction that her appearance makes her unworthy of having a "normal" life, she has managed to be successful and build a life for herself. Her interactions with Alex begin to break her out of her protective shell. Alex recognizes almost immediately that she is walled off in pain when they first meet and that repels him. But her willingness to take chances both brings her closer to Alex and also her dreams.One other thing I really liked about this story is the "deep secret" from Wren's childhood is not what is commonly used in romance novels. Both more heartbreaking and also something different.There was nothing I didn't like about this book except that it ended. I feel more and more in love with this story as it developed. This is a book I look forward to reading again.WORTH MENTIONING: I can't wait until the next book because Balogh is fabulous at mature adult romances.CONNECTED BOOKS: SOMEONE TO WED is the third book in the Westcott series. This book has overlapping characters, but this book can be read on its own. I think it is better to read the other books first, but this story is really self-contained.STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

Have read the whole series of books more than one time, somehow lost someone to wed and had to rebuy it would recommend the series starting with someone to love to anybody who likes to read Regency romances, or just love stories

Mary Balogh é maravilhosa. A história de amor serena e tranquila dessa série especial chamada Wescott. Particularmente me sinto naquela época ao ler os livros dela. Ela mostrando o dia a dia e as emoções de cada um dos personagens durante o desenrolar da história.Essa história trata de uma jovem que tem uma marca de nascença e por isso viveu a vida toda reclusa. Ela é muito rica e decide “comprar” um marido. Procura um que esteja em uma situação financeira desesperadora e que por isso aceite-a como esposa. Ela encontra, mas coisas não saem como ela esperava. Ela acaba não só mudando seu estado civil, mas toda a estrutura e estilo em que levou sua vida toda.

This is a somewhat unusual story - the heroine has a blemish on her face. How it affects her life and how she learns to live it and find happiness makes for a touching, interesting and satisfying read. Highly recommended!

The story was good but could have been better. It just lacks the spark the characterises Balogh's books. Wren's back story took a long time to unfold. By that time I was bored to death. And the story gets highly repetitive at times. The story of the duel between Avery and Uxbury is described in great detail in every Westcott book! Apart from this the story was enjoyable, though I really craved for some more drama.

*You can find this review in English below.*En mis anteriores intentos de leer a la señora Balogh siempre acabé con la sensación de que sus novelas eran más históricas que románticas. Su estilo es demasiado realista, demasiado preciso, tanto que no conseguía conectar ni disfrutar de sus personajes. Los encontraba tan sensatos, tan "acomodados" en la situación histórica de la que eran protagonistas, que al final era algo así como, "bueno, si tú ni sientes ni padeces, ¿porque voy a hacerlo yo?"Pues esto no ocurre en esta ocasión. Ni por asomo.He ido con cautela con esta historia, sin expectativas de ningún tipo, simplemente dejándome llevar. Y ha sido fascinante.Los protagonistas de esta historia son Wren y Alexander. Ella es una superviviente. Con un pasado trágico del que no consigue zafarse, pero que nunca se convierte en melodramático. Es realista y honesto. Y cada paso que da para alejarse de él es un paso fundamentado y creíble. Me ha encantado ver como con coraje y perseverancia, poco a poco va conquistando su presente. Lo que no significa que todo sea de color de rosa al final del libro. Hay cosas que no tienen solución. Y es mejor así, lo contrario hubiese sido llamativamente irrealista.Y después está Alexander. Es interesante como la autora consigue humanizar un personaje, que en otras manos, hubiese acabado siendo una caricatura. Alexander es guapo, alto, con un físico excepcional y además es un duque. Y ahora va la señora Balogh y lo convierte en un ser decente que antepone sus obligaciones sociales a sus deseos personales. Y todo cambia. De repente ya no estás leyendo un romance, de repente estás leyendo una historia de cómo dos personas intentan conseguir la felicidad renunciando a partes importantes de sus vidas.El romance ha sido precioso. Tranquilo. Pausado. Realista. Y a pesar de ello, o gracias a ello, muy emotivo. Siempre han sido fieles a sí mismos. Y gracias a los diálogos internos siempre sabía por lo que estaban pasando, qué querían y porqué hacían lo que hacían. Esto ha sido fundamental para entender y disfrutar la historia.Me ha encantado.El elenco de secundarios es abrumador, yo no conocía a ninguno, pero la autora te guía por los más importantes sin que la historia pierda su ritmo. Lo más impactante de todo ha sido la imagen de familia unida y afectuosa que nos dibuja, a pesar de todo por lo que han pasado. Creo que nunca he leído una historia con tantos familiares encantadores y buenas personas. Hay algunos a los que no he podido seguirles la pista, pero hay otros de los que me gustaría saber más. Ya veremos…***In my previous attempts to read Mrs. Balogh I always ended up with the feeling that her novels were more historical than romance; her style too realistic, too precise, so much that I could not relate nor enjoy her characters. I found them so sensible, so "accommodated" in the historical situation of which they were protagonists that, in the end, I was feeling something like, "well, if you don't care, I will not either."Well, this does not happen this time. Not for a moment.I have been cautious with this story; I have dived into it without expectations of any kind, just letting myself go. And it has been fascinating.The MC's of this story are Wren and Alexander. She is a survivor. Her tragic past still hold her prisoner, but it never feels melodramatic. It is realistic and honest. And every step she takes to get away from it is a well-founded and credible one. I was delighted to see how with courage and perseverance, little by little, she is conquering her present; which does not mean that everything is peaches and cream at the end of the book. There are things that have no solution. And it's better that way, otherwise it would have been shockingly unrealistically.And then there's Alexander. It is interesting how the author manages to humanize a character, which in lesser hands, would have ended up being a caricature. Alexander is handsome, tall, with an exceptional physique and is also a duke. And now Mrs. Balogh goes and turns him into a decent being who puts his social obligations before his personal desires. And everything changes. Suddenly you're not reading a romance anymore; you're reading a story about two people trying to achieve happiness by giving up important parts of their lives.The romance has been beautiful. Serene. Calm. Realistic. And despite this, or thanks to it, so emotional. The MC's have always been true to themselves. And thanks to the internal dialogues I always knew what they were going through, what they wanted and why they did what they did. This has been fundamental to understand and enjoy the story.I loved it.The cast of secondary characters is colossal, I did not know anyone, but the author guides you through the most important ones without the story losing its rhythm. The most impressive thing of all has been the image of a united and affectionate family that it's drawn, in spite of everything they have gone through. I think I've never read a story with so many lovely relatives and good people. There are some of them who I have not been able to keep track of, but there are others who I would like to know more about. We'll see.