A Waltz to Remember by Mary Balogh
Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Ravenswood #6
Release Date: October 27, 2026
For years Lady Stephaine Ware has harbored a secret crush for her brother Owen’s friend, Bertrand Lamarr, Viscount Watley, but Stephaine knows a man so perfect would never be interested in a chubby, round-faced girl like her, so she keeps her distance. It takes some time, but eventually, Stephaine learns not to be so self-deprecating and begins to accept herself, yet when Bertrand asks if she will save a waltz for him at the Ravenswood Summer Fete ball, she not only declines his request, but is unpardonably rude to him before running away. She almost instantly regrets her action but has no chance to apologize for months. Her opportunity comes when they meet in Bath for her brother Nicholas’ wedding to his step-niece Winifred Cunningham. She gathers her courage and asks his forgiveness for her nasty and untrue insults; he forgives her and asks if they might start again as friends. Months later they met again in London, and he asks her if she would give him the chance to prove to her that they could be more than friends, she is skeptical but agrees.
Bertrand, Viscount Watley has admired Lady Stephanie for years and had hoped to court her, but when he asked her for a dance, she was viscous in her refusal, so much so that Bertrand began to believe he actually hated her. Yet when they meet again and she apologizes, he immediately forgives her and asks if they could be friends. He thinks that will be enough and sets his sites to finding a bride and starting a family. He goes to London and begins to court a young lady, who by all his standards, would be a perfect bride, but he feels nothing beyond mild admiration for her. By chance he runs into Lady Stephanie on the night he decides to end the courtship and realizes that Stephaine is still the lady he wants. He gets her to agree to give him a chance to prove they could be perfect for each other, now he just needs to get her to see what he has seen for years.
I had been looking forward to Stephaine’s story and was delighted to learn this book would be her story and that Bertrand was going to be her love interest. The story did not disappoint, and I finally understood why Stephaine was so insecure and what prompted her to be so hateful to Bertrand. I will admit that I would have liked more personal interaction between Stephaine and Bertrand and less family interaction, I do enjoy learning updates about previous couples, but this was almost too much. Overall, it was a gentle romance between two people with issues in their childhoods that have shaped them and at times held them back, who finally let go of the past to seize their future happiness. This is the sixth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone as the author supplies ample backstory.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a DRC/ALC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *
