Simply Magic (Simply Quartet, Book 3)

This story is unique because you don't have the typical ALPHA-MALE hero. Instead you have a very easygoing, uncomplicated handsome man. A breath of fresh air from the brooding, aloof, Alpha-male types in most other regency romances. And, their love genuinely starts out as friendship and you truly get to experience them getting to know each other and falling in love step by step along the way(Unlike in most romances where the love could easily be lust and you only figure it's love because the author said so). I think this is a more realistic portrayl of real life....you never see brooding, Alpha male, Bodice-Ripper men nowadays!

which is ironic when you consider that, first, I hesitated in buying it and, then had it for two months before getting around to starting it! I was turned off by some of the lukewarm reviews which sort of echoed annoyances I felt with previous books (the never-ending presence of the Bedwins, the ever-recurring use of the the ducal quizzing glass, etc.) Yes, they were there but they didn't detract from the book at all. An imperfect Mary Balogh is still so much better than a perfect any-other-regency-novelist that it doesn't matter at all. As is usual in her novels, the characters are completely believable: in character development, in their actions and reactions, in their time and place, in the balance between their imperfections, virtues and motivations, and in their passage through the plot from beginning to end. Nothing wildly dramatic happens in the plot. This isn't an adventure, a mystery, a conflict, a comedy or a drama, at least not any more or any less than a slice of real life is any (or all) of the above. The plot is character driven and well-paced. It is not psycho-babble, but insights into the thoughts and feelings of intelligent and imperfect human beings who make and admit mistakes and try, as all of us do, to grow from our experiences and to try to do what is right when confronted with the temptations, challenges, and opportunities that this particular moment of their lives present. It is sometimes hard to believe that these are not real people which explains why, after reaching into yourself and relating--with genuine interest, empathy, and warmth--to some part of each of them, it is so hard to let them go.

As a long-time Balogh fan, I was hesitant to buy this book after some of the extremely negative reviews. I'm glad I did. A self-effacing, kind, charming, cheerful hero and a buoyant, energetic, loving heroine, both intelligent and striving towards maturity, are lovingly portrayed in all their insights and lack thereof. Granted, the book is more a study of individual emotional evolution than action, but the couple is charming, their development believeable, and, as always, Ms Balogh brings it all together with the most complete of happy endings--something THIS reader of romances truly appreciates. Unless you just have to have serious threats, conflicts, crimes and mayhem in your romances, you'll enjoy it!

"Simply Magic" is a dramatic and sensual story about two individuals who fall in love, only to discover their love is complicated by a disturbing interwoven past. Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf has been a perfect gentleman of the ton, while avoiding all of the eligible marriageable young ladies his mother has put in his path. It is on a walking path on the estate of a friend that he meets the beautiful and independent school teacher Susanna Osbourne, saying to himself, "There she is." Struggling with unrecognized love at first site, no matter how much Peter attempts to avoid Susanna, he constantly finds himself drawn to her. They quickly become close friends, walking the estate paths and discussing many topics, while at the same time fighting a growing desire for each other. The innocent Susanna realizes as a viscount there can be no future with Peter, but she is also saddened as he does not seem to recognize her from the past as a young girl when she lived at a nearby estate where her father was a steward. But many do not recognize the beautiful Susanna as the young twelve year old girl who suddenly disappeared after the sudden suicide of her father. She has lived with the pain of this secret for years, growing in beauty and intelligence as a teacher at the very school she attended as a charity pupil, due to the kindness of none other than one of the famous Bedwyn family. Having a holiday with friends is a delightful vacation that becomes a bit disconcerting and she finds herself counting the limited days she can spend with Peter. When friendship turns to desire that builds to an intense afternoon of passion, Peter takes her innocence. When he offers carte blanche instead of marriage, Susanna runs back to her school, but finds she cannot run from her heart. Simon misses his dear friend and realizing his mistake and that he loves Susanna, he creates a plan to earn back her friendship and love. But soon their intertwined intense past is revealed. Will their love be strong enough to overcome the shocking revelations? There is nothing simple about Mary Balogh's "Simply" Series. Once again she has proven that she is the modern Jane Austen in this beautiful and heartwarming tale. For Regency romance fans, Ms. Balogh has the talent to take readers back to the Regency Period, making them feel they are there and intimately involved with the characters. Each book builds from previous stories and dearly loved characters return to be interwoven with new. Simply Magic is a truly pleasurable read like many of the other Balogh Regencies. A romance fan's delight would be a long vacation alone with a stack of Balogh Regencies reading them in order, enjoying an arm chair travel back in time to the Regency period!

It pains me to read the other reviews of this book because I feel that poor Mary Balogh is held to a higher standard than other Regency writers. She is still by far the best writer concentrating on the Regency era. She still captures the atmosphere, the mores, the dialogue, and the thinking of that time period better than any other writer on the market. And, the characters are always different. While some of the reviewers didn't like these specific characters' traits or reactions to events, they are not taking into account the fact that Balogh created their distinct personalities years ago. The character of Peter, Viscount Whitleaf, showed up in a book written five years ago! That's impressive to me. She can create characters in her mind and keep a running thread of their traits through many books and many years. Their personalities may be too mild for some readers, but I enjoy the fact that Balogh sees the world through very differing kinds of eyes. She has written many of the archetypical dark, tortured heroes in her day and will definitely do so again, but this hero happens to be outwardly kind and flirtatious. What is wrong with that? He is still interesting. The story, to me, is compelling as well. How can the reviewers find tepid the idea of a young woman falling in love (but trying not to) with the man who is linked to the cause of her father's suicide?! I think that Balogh does create "angst" (as one reviewer wanted) in the conflict that their love will always be tainted by the reasons for her father's suicide. They must find a way to overcome that dilemma. Her books are politically correct as one reviewer stated (her heroines do always seem to need some career or self-sufficiency in their lives before they agree to love the hero) but that is, in all probability, a decision made by the editors and publisher, not necessarily just Balogh. I still think that a Balogh book is ten times better than any of the other ridiculous, amateurish, poorly written books in the Romance section of the bookstore these days.