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    Only A Promise
    Only A Promise
    Only A Promise
    Audiobook11 hours

    Only A Promise

    Written by Mary Balogh

    Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The next Survivors’ Club novel from the New York Times bestselling author.

    The Survivors’ Club: Six men and one woman, all wounded in the Napoleonic Wars, their friendship forged during their recovery at Penderris Hall in Cornwall.

    Now, for one of them, striking a most unusual bargain will change his life forever …

    Ralph Stockwood prides himself on being a leader, but when he convinced his friends to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, he never envisioned being the sole survivor. Racked with guilt over their deaths, Ralph must move on … and find a wife so as to secure an heir to his family’s title and fortune.

    Since her Seasons in London ended in disaster, Chloe Muirhead is resigned to spinsterhood. Driven by the need to escape her family, she takes refuge at the home of her mother’s godmother, where she meets Ralph. He needs a wife. She wants a husband. So Chloe makes an outrageous suggestion:
    Strike a bargain and get married. One condition: Ralph has to promise that he will never take her back to London. But circumstances change. And to Ralph, it was only a promise.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 9, 2015
    ISBN9781490661919
    Only A Promise
    Author

    Mary Balogh

    New York Times bestselling, multi-award-winning author Mary Balogh grew up in Wales, land of sea and mountains, song and legend. She brought music and a vivid imagination with her when she came to Canada to teach. There she began a second career as a writer of books that always end happily and always celebrate the power of love.

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    Reviews for Only A Promise

    4/5

    158 ratings15 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A wonderful "Survivor's Club" novel. This one is about Ralph Stockwood and Chloe Muirhead. They meet and begin their relationship as two people looking for a mate that will not require closeness and love. They agree on the details of what will become their marriage and are almost immediately tossed into a life that neither of them expected to happen for years to come. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the series.
    • 3/5
      It was ok I guess. I didn’t love it but I liked it. I preferred Lord Trenton’s love story.
    • 3/5
      I despise women cutting their hair in a hissy fit trope. Idiot.
    • 5/5
      Enjoyed very much
      Great characters, great story developments, well read. Fab!
    • 2/5
      It’s too close to real life to be a escape read. Not what I was looking for..
    • 4/5
      Delicious romance -- I love this series.
    • 2/5
      This one wasn't a great fit for me. Her offer of an arrangement in the beginning was absolutely cracked, and the idea that he would accept, given the circumstances, was just as ridiculous. This couple was not very bright, and somehow had even less emotional intelligence. I kept hoping they would improve, but they didn't until the very last moments. And they acted kind of meanly to each other repeatedly, in a very uncalled-for way. I just didn't end up enjoying it very much. From the previous books I had been expecting to like Ralph, but neither of them ever won me over. And on top of it I didn't feel their relationship developing, not much was there for most of the book and then near the end they're just in love. I liked their confrontations with their past alright, but on the whole it was a bit of a dud for me.
    • 5/5
      This was a legit marriage of convenience (rather than the couples who won’t admit they’re in love yet), and it was wonderful to see Chloe and Ralph both change together in order to find their HEA.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable entry in the Survivor's Club series. Balogh does a good job of avoiding some of the tired tropes. In this book, the heroine prooses to the hero and he wisely take her up on it eventually. The book is about these two getting to know each other and getting to appreciate each other, particularly lending strength to each other.
    • 4/5
      Ralph Stockwood lost three of his best friends in the war and still feels guilty even though he himself was terribly wounded. He resolves to have no feelings, but he is heir to a Dukedom and must find a wife and get himself some heirs of his own.Chloe Muirhead is acting as a companion/guest to Ralph's grandmother. Her antecedents are good but through no fault of her own, the ton has decided that Chloe is persona non grata. A marriage of convenience seems to be a good option between the two. They each get a spouse with no complications - or maybe not.Mary Balogh always writes a good book, and the Survivor's series is very enjoyable. I've really liked some of the others in the series but found this one slightly less entertaining than the others. It's still a great story but the plot has been well-traveled in other books and there was nothing very surprising here.
    • 3/5
      Good story line and characters. The sex however was very lady chatterly. Ugh. Needed more spark there or to skip it.
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite volume for this series to date. I know I rated Book 2 with a five stars, but this one is above and beyond that one. I think it’s the blend of darker elements and more dramatic emotional content that tips the balance. And this book has that in spades.Where Vincent’s and Sophie’s story was more gentle and sweet, Ralph’s and Chloe’s tale is fraught with despair, pain, and low expectations in life. Ralph’s wartime experience was as much emotional and mental as physical; survivor’s guilt is a big and looming presence in his tale, more so than the other Club members I feel. I liked the depth and layer that it adds to this budding romance.Chloe is scarred in her own fashion as well socially and as a result of that, emotionally. Her family’s transgressions have stained any hope she had for a normal life and so she finds herself in the position as an unmarriageable woman. While not on the same level as wartime angst, her emotional pain still adds weight to an already dramatic story.This story is a “marriage of convenience” story, a cliché that I find myself enjoying more and more. It’s a miracle me saying that as I usually HATE clichés of all sorts. Yet, this one seems to dovetail beautifully with the emotional states our leads are in, two damaged individuals who don’t think they can find love but want the benefits that the married state can bring them. Being in such close proximity all the time allows for some lovely character development and relationship enrichment.Balogh has created a world class historical romance here. Emotionally resonant and with characters that shine, I devoured this book. It’s the best of the Survivor’s Club so far and because of how good it is, I look forward to the finishing two novels coming out soon. Another example of why Balogh is turning into one of my favorite authors for this genre!
    • 5/5
      Only a Promise by Mary Balogh is a 2015 Signet publication. This book turned out to be one of my very favorites in the survivor’s club series! I know I sound like a broken record, but this series is appealing to me for a number of reasons. The Survivor’s Club struck a chord with me right off, and so far, I don’t think I’ve missed a single book. The premise is one in which wounded soldiers, mentally, emotionally, and physically, are still recovering from the effects of war. Each story is compelling, emotional, and inspirational. All the characters have had to overcome major obstacles in order to open their hearts up to the possibility of falling in love. Ralph’s story is no exception and it is certainly painful, so I really felt bad for him. He is severely wounded physically in the Neapolitan war, and is left scarred, but it is the loss of three comrades during the war, which has left him emotionally drained to the point where he has nothing left inside but bitter regret and remorse. For Chloe it is a broken heart that taught her that love is just a lie, the actions of a selfish sister that ruined her chances of marriage, and the shocking revelations about her parents that have caused her to become fodder for the cruel gossips in London society. With her reputation in ruins, this chance with Ralph is a golden opportunity for her. But, once they are married, and reality sets in, all of Chloe’s hopes are dashed as she endures the one thing in this world she dreaded the most, and Ralph appears impervious to her pain. I love the mature characters, how they deal with really difficult and complex issues, and go through transitions that only love’s restorative powers can accomplish. I literally watched Ralph fall in his wife, saw him face his worst fears, and all that bottled up pain slowly released from him.“No man can do everything,” Graham explained. “Each of us can do only what is within his power. If we dwell upon our inability to solve the world’s problems, our only possible recourse is to despair. Despair accomplishes nothing.” Chloe is a character I admire tremendously. No matter what era you live in the shock she endured concerning her parents is one that would send anyone into a tailspin. Like Chloe my first inclination would be to withdraw from society and it was Ralph’s preference as well, until duty called. “The trouble with running away is that you must always take yourself with you.” Both main characters really stepped into their roles, gaining strength from one another as their love for each other grew. I loved how Ralph addressed his feeling for Chloe, as not just about romantic love, or sexual pleasure, but that deep abiding love that is what holds couples together through the ups and downs that life inevitably brings. This is a wonderful story about learning to face your worst fears, forgiving yourself, and the power of love which is what made all that possible for Ralph and Chloe. I loved this one!! 5 stars
    • 4/5
      Ralph Stockwood came back from the Napoleonic Wars with a damaged body and a huge amount of survivor's guilt, he doesn't know that he can trust himself with people, he convinced a group of friends to go with him to war and he was the only one who returned. He tries not caring about anyone but people keep making demands on him, including his grandfather and grandmother, who want him to marry, want him to be happy.Chloe Muirhead has had no luck in London, she had to leave London chased by scandal, none of which was her own making. She escapes her family by going to her mother's godmother, Ralph's grandmother, there they meet and Chloe suggests to him that they make a bargain, she demands nothing off him, except children and that she could not have to go back to London, he agrees. But after they marry, circumstances force them to go to London, where Chloe has to confront her demons and Ralph has to consider his.I enjoyed it, the two characters were great and you could see the respect and love build between them both, you could also see how reluctant they were to admit it, but also how they found a strong place in each other to rest from their cares. I liked it immensely.The cover is a bit disingenuous, I half-expected that the issues would be racial, but the female lead is a red-head, there are no outstanding oriental characters in this story.
    • 5/5
      Spoiler alert!Ralph Stockwood convinced a group of his friends to go to war, but after all of them were blown up in front of him, he never forgave himself. However, his family is urging him to marry and produce an heir, since his beloved grandfather the Duke is ailing. Chloe Muirhead, whose brother was half a friend and half an adversary of Ralph at school due to his pacifist stance, is resigned to spinsterhood. After a series of family scandals, she never wants to return to London. Her last Season resulted in her fleeing gossip about her being the bastard child of a redheaded man who had courted her mother, since Chloe and the man's daughter look similar. Although she loves her father, he refused to answer her questions, and she needed space to think. She begged refuge from her mother's godmother, who is Ralph's grandmother. When she overhears Ralph's grandmother urging him to marry, she proposes that they marry for convenience, since she desires a family and security. He declines, but after a short trip to London to attempt to choose a wife, he cannot stop thinking about Chloe. He returns, declares his inability to love and his intention to live a quiet country life, and marries her the next day; the day after that his grandfather dies and Ralph becomes the Duke. Due to his new responsibilities, he realizes he must go to London, which makes Chloe feel betrayed.There ensues an unfolding love story involving Chloe's loving family, her realization that the father she loves is not her father by blood, and her confrontation of her birth father and his family to avoid public unpleasantness. Ralph is awed by her quiet courage, and finally upon her urging, he visits the parents of one of his dead friends. He is shocked to learn that they never blamed him, but only felt guilty that they did not reach out to him when he returned wounded.A lovely story of two hurting people who find strength together to confront their fears.