cover image The Escape

The Escape

Mary Balogh. Dell, $7.99 mass market (416p) ISBN 978-0-345-53606-8

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)