SIMPLY MAGIC - Mary Balogh
Miss Martin's School for Girls, Book 3
Dell
ISBN: 978-0-440-24198-0
March 2008
Historical Romance

Bath, England – Regency Era

Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, is visiting a friend and intending to go home for an extended stay until he receives a note from his mother, who is planning a house party in his honor...and inviting a special lady. Peter’s mother is determined to find him a bride, much to his chagrin. Peter likes women, and is enormously successful attracting them. He is only twenty-six, and, although he wants to take up his responsibilities at Sidley Park, he is not ready to marry his mother’s choice, especially after the disaster that happened five years ago. While strolling with his friends, they meet the Countess of Edgecombe with her companion, Susanna. A former charity pupil and now a teacher at Miss Martin’s School for Girls, Susanna is on a two-week holiday from the school visiting her friend. Peter is stunned by Susanna’s beauty, and his first thought is there she is, but what does that mean, and why does his usual charm have no effect? Why is Susanna so cool towards him?

Something that happened in Susanna’s childhood left her with a dislike of Peter and the Edgeworths. She tells herself that Peter is a shallow young man and she wants nothing to do with him, but as she gets to know him, she enjoys being with him in spite of her opinion. Her first impression of Peter changes as she sees what a likeable, kind person he is. Although Susanna is not part of his social circle, Peter cannot stop thinking of her even as he tries to stay away. They decide to become friends and look forward to seeing each other every day. At the end of the two weeks, their friendship has strengthened into something more. They part, thinking they will never see each other again, but will fate intervene?

With Mary Balogh’s usual excellent writing and fascinating characters, SIMPLY MAGIC is a wonderful Regency tale about two people who belong together but, because of social strictures, cannot allow their relationship to move toward marriage. Susanna enjoys her teaching job but longs for family life. She had heartbreak as a child, and everything is still unresolved regarding her father’s death eleven years ago. Sensitive, charming, and almost too kind for his own good, Peter is a handsome, delightful hero. Several characters from Ms. Balogh’s previous books are mentioned or appear in SIMPLY MAGIC.

This series of books so far includes SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE, SIMPLY LOVE, and SIMPLY MAGIC. They are wonderful stories about the teachers at Miss Martin’s School for Girls. SIMPLY PERFECT, starring Miss Martin herself and the last in the quartet, will be out in hardcover April 2008. Although each story can stand alone, for added enjoyment it is recommended that readers peruse the whole series. They are heart-warming tales of finding love regardless of your station in life, and will leave readers teary-eyed and feeling good.

Marilyn Heyman