Remember When: Clarissa’s Story by Mary Balogh

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Ravenswood #4

Release Date: January 7, 2025

Once upon a time Clarissa Greenfield and Matthew Taylor were the best of friends and in the throughs of first love, but at that time in their lives, love was not enough to ensure their happily ever after. Clarissa learns that Caleb Ware the Earl of Stratton plans to offer for her and she is going to accept, despite her feelings for Matthew, she knows a match with Caleb is the best choice for her and she is attracted to him, but her heart longs for Matthew. She tells him of her choice and effectively ends their friendship. Now many years later, Clarissa is the dowager Countess of Stratton, her children are grown and settled with children of their own, and now that her youngest daughter has been launched into society, Clarissa longs for solitude. She returns to Ravenswood Hall, insisting on going alone, despite her family’s pleas for her to join them for the summer. When she returns home, she seeks out Matthew and renews their friendship. She is happy, but her friendship with Matthew is turning heads and setting tongues wagging. Once again, she has a choice to make, does she do what is expected of the dowager Countess of Stratton or does she finally follow her heart?

Matthew Taylor was a troubled young man, a second son with no prospects of his own and a contentious relationship with his family. When Clarissa tells him that she will marry the Earl of Stratton, he is heartbroken and acts rashly. Within months of her marriage to Caleb, Matthew also marries against his family’s wishes and is widowed less than a year later. Adrift and angry, Matthew leaves England and for over ten years stays away. When he returns, he is a changed man and turns his back on his genteel upbringing, settling in the village of Boscombe and in the shadow of Ravenswood Hall as the village carpenter. His feelings for Clarissa have never changed, but he keeps his distance from her and makes a new solitary life for himself. When Clarissa returns to Ravenwood Hall alone and reaches out to him, he is helpless to resist. Reconnecting with Clarissa sets off a chain reaction and soon his ordered life is anything but, will he risk the peace he has finally attained or throw caution to the wind and follow his heart?

Clarissa and Matthew are clearly soulmates, and prior to her marriage, they were of similar social standing, but expectations of society kept them apart, and now, over twenty years later they have a second chance at love if they are brave enough to take it. This installment of the Ravenswood series is a “gentle read” and while it is well written, it moves slowly and there is not really a lot going on, it is a sweet, gentle read with a lot of emotion, mature characters, second chances, familial bonds, self-forgiveness, cameos of all the Ware children and finally a long overdue HEA for Clarissa and Matthew. This is the fourth book in the series and could be read as a standalone title with no problems, but I would recommend reading the books in order for the best reading experience. Overall, I would happily recommend this book and was delighted that Clarissa finally found a man who loved her the way she deserved to be loved, but I did find it a bit bland, and it is not a book I would read a second time.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *