Customer Reviews

Simply Perfect

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Balogh has written a winner! This final book in the "Simply" series is marvelous...almost a feminine version of the final "Bedwyn" book, 'Slightly Dangerous.' Claudia is similar to Wulfric Bedwyn in that she is prim, rigid, and utterly correct in her manner and behavior just as Wulfric was. His story is one of my favorite Balogh books, but 'Simply Perfect' rivals it as one of my new favorites. Balogh writes a touching tale of an independent woman who makes a successful life for herself after experiencing heartache at a young age. Her journey toward opening herself up to love in this book is well-told, believeable, and tremendously moving. Balogh knows human nature well. She always does such a good job of portraying all the psychological and emotional roadblocks we put in our way as we travel toward love. She is a master storyteller. Joseph is the perfect hero to Claudia's stern heroine. Their tale has it's share of twists and turns, but is ultimately completely satisfying. As always, I hate to reach the end of a Balogh book. If only she could write faster. How will I make it for another year?! She is truly unequalled as the best historical romance writer today.

This story is an excellent completion to Mary Balogh's 'Simply' series which followed the lives of four schoolteachers from Miss Martin's School for Girls in Bath. 'Simply Perfect' takes as its heroine Miss Claudia Martin herself, an on-the-shelf spinster whose life is bound up in the school and whose antipathy towards dukes and other members of the aristocracy is well known. At the start of this story Claudia finds herself showing the Marquess of Attingsborough around the school before travelling with him to London in order to drop off two pupils at their new positions and to visit her man of business.

Claudia soon finds that there's more to the Marquess of Attingsoborough than she first assumed. Initially appearing to be rather a wastrel aristocrat who just lives for parties and entertainments she soon realises that there is more behind his handsome and charming exterior - an unexpected female in his life, one he has to keep away from society.

Claudia and the Marquess, Joseph, find themselves thrown together a great deal. This story also includes a roll-call of almost every character Mary Balogh has included in her last dozen or so novels including all the Bedwyns, the women and their husbands from the other books in the Simply series, Neville and Lily from 'One Night for Love' and Lauren and Viscount Ravensberg from 'A Summer to Remember'. For those who haven't read any of Balogh's other books these extra characters might feel rather overwhelming.

Another character from 'Simply Unforgettable' also appears, Portia Hunt, the jilted potential fiancée of Lucius Marshall. In this story she is the Marquess of Attingsborough's intended and I felt she was really the only unbelievable character in this book, being a rather nasty and shallow woman who showed these attributes most of the time and yet was able - almost - to snare our hero. There is a new character as well, a person from Claudia's history, who might put a spanner in the works.

However most of the action in this story is between Joseph the Marquess and Claudia the schoolmistress. We see both of them gradually revealing their natures and desires and wishes to each other, we see how they treat each other differently than those around them, seeing past the outward ideas of rank and physical beauty and understanding instead how minds can meet. Claudia and Joseph's dealings with a particularly special character are wonderfully and touchingly written. Overall this story is one that is warm-hearted, engaging and also sometimes moving and is a definite return to form by Mary Balogh, some of whose more recent novels have been a little disappointing.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

This is the final novel in Balogh's "Simply" quartet, and having read it a couple of weeks ago, I delayed reviewing it because I was unsure how I felt about it. After a second reading, however, I've decided I liked this book. I didn't love it, but it does engender an engaging warmth and Balogh does seem to understand the conventions of the Regency, which for me helps make her writing credible.

Other reviewers have maintained "Simply Perfect" is flawed, and I cannot argue with this. Many of the supporting characters are insufficiently explored in this book, and therefore to anyone who hasn't read Balogh's previous series, might seem one-dimensional. The denouement introduces a bit of a jarring note, and scenes with Attingborough's daughter can be cloying.

Nevertheless, for me these faults are outweighed by Balogh's portrayal of the main protagonists and their burgeoning love. Miss Martin, entrenched in duty and her prejudice of the upper classes, is rather inflexible; Attingsborough, overshadowed by his father, is hidebound by duty and convention. Their flaws don't suddenly disappear overnight, but provide continuity with earlier portrayals of these characters in the Simply and Slightly series. The hero and heroine are no longer in the first flush of youth - in fact at 35, Claudia would have been considered to have taken root on the shelf - so there is no immediate "coup de foudre", no epiphany. Instead, Balogh describes the tender unfolding of a mature and considered love between two flawed and duty-bound characters.

The four stars I've given this novel do, however,come with the two caveats. Firstly, unless you've read at least some of the Ballogh's Slightly series or the Simply books, Simply Perfect might seem confusing, since it definitely relies on characters more fully described in other books. Secondly, if you are looking for an adrenaline pumping first love, then this is probably not for you.

Personally I found it charming, and Balogh's writing style carried it as always.

Mary Balogh rounds off her Simply series with "Simply Perfect" -- a perfectly nice, elegant and romantic read that somehow ends up being a little bland at the same time.

Claudia Martin, headmistress and founder of The Miss Martin's School For Girls, thought that she was happy and contented with her lot in life and with all she had accomplished. That is until the Marquess of Attingsborough (Joseph) enters her life ostensibly in order to escort her and her charges to London. But London, renewing her friendships with her married friends and a friendship with Joseph soon has Claudia questioning her definition of contentment. Joseph and Claudia belong to different spheres of life, and Joseph is all but engaged to the perfect Miss Hunt on top of it all -- so could a spinster headmistress actually hope for a happy ending?

For the most part, I found "Simply Perfect" to be a very nice, very romantic kind of grown up novel. Claudia and Joseph are the kind of mature characters I enjoy reading about most at this stage of my life -- characters who have had their share of misfortune but who have managed to deal with their misfortunes without stewing in anger and bitterness (I think that we can say that while Claudia does retain her anger against the aristocratic class, she does not allow her disdain and anger to colour her judgement). I enjoyed how the author allowed for Joseph's feelings for Claudia to develop slowly and believably from admiration to love, and I liked how she showed us how "right" this pairing was by providing both Claudia and Joseph with alternate possibilities. But, I also think that she could have done more here with both Miss Hunt and the Duke of McLeith -- this might have prevented "Simply Perfect" from becoming the bland read it ultimately was. The storyline was a good one, and the romantic pairing, almost perfect, but as another reviewer, C. Stevens pointed out, "Simply Perfect" does read like a follow up to all the Bedwyn and previous books in the Simply series. I also agree that unless you have a wonderfully sharp memory or have just recently sat down and read every single book in both series, it will be quite easy for anyone to get a little lost as so many characters from the previous (10?) books make an appearance here. And one really has to ask if there was an actual valid reason for all of these characters to make an appearance? Because, my feeling is that perhaps if less characters had turned up to round things up, perhaps Claudia and Joseph may have had a slightly more interesting story instead of this pleasant but rather bland one.

Mary Balogh has saved the best for last in her "Simply" series.
Miss Claudia Martin always seemed the prickly sort to me, having been introduced to her early on in the "Slightly" series. We got a glimpse of her inner warmth in the first of this series, and she became more human with each book.

Unlike many of Balogh's early novels there is no real villain in this story. However, the mores of Polite Society and the scorn of the ton are the "bad guys", which is a refreshing twist. We learn why Miss Martin dislikes the British Hierarchy, and why she has allowed herself to become who she became.

Joseph Fawcitt, Marquess of Attingsborough, is perfectly cast. He has charm, sensitivity, and is quite kind. He has a few secrets of his own. If memory serves, he was introduced in "One Night for Love". It is also heart-warming to see the return of some of my favorite Bedwyns and other fringe characters like Gwen, Lady Muir and Sydnam Butler. There are some delicious set-downs and humorous moments as well. And of course, the wonderful descriptions of nature and scenery Balogh does best.

I loved this book. Having been to Bath and seen the Abbey and the Pump Room, I literally got chills when reading the ending scene because I could imagine all these beloved characters gathering just there. This was a most enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to anyone.

If you like your romance novels to have hot sex (or at least sizzling sexual chemistry) from the first meeting of the characters, you will probably not like this book. But if you want romance and characters falling in love over the course of the book, "Simply Perfect" is just that. Simply. Perfect.

The first meeting between Joseph (a surprisingly ordinary name for a Balogh hero) and Claudia Martin, headmistress of the school that has been the center of the "Simply" series novels, is not auspicious. Claudia is suspicious and resentful of Joseph and he has not one romantic thought of her. In fact he has effectively promised his father to marry Portia Hunt (who was the presumed intended of an early "Simply" hero). And his love for and commitment to the unseen Lizzie would appear to make a real romance impossible with any woman, much less with Claudia whose social status is far beneath Joseph's and who dislikes the nobility. When her long-lost first love also enters the picture, a reader would not be foolish to wonder if there will be any romance at all between Claudia and Joseph.

But circumstances, Claudia's business obligations as well as connections between mutual friends, lead to frequent social interactions between the couple. Over time they grow comfortable with, then respect, find friendship, and finally love each other. This emotional journey, not a physical relationship, is the focus of the book. That has probably lead to some of the reviewers calling this book bland. But it was the reason I enjoyed the book so much. It was about romance, not just sex. When I read a romance, I want to believe the couple is falling in love. That the process wasn't instant but evolved slowly over the course of the book made it very believable. The introduction of Lizzie into the story made it tender as well.

In addition, the setting and plot of the book brought together the other 3 former teachers and their husbands along with a sizeable number of Bedwyns. And near the end of the book, Claudia finally learns the identity of her school's anonymous benefactor.

Now that Portia has lost out on two men in the "Simply" quartet, I hope Balogh will write a book about her where she can lose her haughty coldness and find love.

I thought for a romance novel it portrayed a realistic love, unlike most romance stories. The attraction was very mental, which is what love should be about. It was refreshing for me to read something a little more down to earth than your usual bodice ripper. The heroine sounds like she could use a makeover, but never gets one!!!! Yay! The extra characters were confusing, since I haven't read any of her other novels, but I will be reading them soon.

This is Balogh's best book since "Slightly Dangerous", but I have two quibbles with it. First, she has brought back all the characters from at least ten previous books, and all those titles and names are Simply Confusing...even though I've read all of those books, some of them more than once. Second, there is clearly an anachronism in Claudia Martin's behavior and attitudes. Although I enjoyed her opinions and actions, I found it incredible that a schoolmistress of mature years, in the Regency period, would really say and do what she said and did. However, if you skip the crowded house parties and the modern attitudes, what remains is a very well-written story of two sensitive, loving people, who find each other despite numerous obstacles, and gradually develop a rapport that can only bring admiration - and perhaps a sigh or a tear. The excellent sideplot of a blind child is handled with great taste. I highly recommend this book!

I am a huge Mary Balogh fan and have every single one of her books. I found this last one of the 'Simply' series disappointing, in fact I have not found any of the 'Simply' books very enthralling. I do like to see how she brings the most unlikely pairings to a happy ending but this time was not really very convinced. Claudia has been portrayed in the previous books as a bit of a dried up old spinster and her sudden transformation into attractive, womanly woman (in Joseph's eyes) wasn't compelling enough for me. I found his character slightly one dimensional and the plot line about his daughter and previous mistress not very believable.

Its well written as usual but I found it bit of a bland read - it is a NICE book and a sweet story.

Finally - if you have not read any of the other books in the series or if you have not read any of the Bedwyn books you will be completely bemused by the vast cast of characters who all come together at various country estates and various points in the book. I think almost every single hero/heroine from each of those books makes an appearance at some point and even I found it confusing and I've read them all, some of them several times. It's obvious they are all there to say 'goodbye' because this is the last of a series of linked books but it was unnecessary and I felt perhaps it detracted slightly from Claudia and Joseph's story.

I thought this book was a great conclusion to the SIMPLY series. Since Claudia was a minor character in the stories of her fellow schoolteachers, I was glad that Mary Balogh added her story and provided closure for all.
Like other reviewers here, I would definitely not recommend reading this one until and unless you have read the previous ones in the series. Perhaps it's not necessary to read all of them - both the SIMPLY and SLIGHTLY (the Bedwyn books) - although I have and liked them all. However, a reader should at least read Wulf and Christine's story (Slightly Dangerous) to get a feel for their entire family. Reviewer Kay Kaiser also drew a parallel between Wulf and Claudia, which was a good insight, but I'd note that Balogh did NOT write the same story for each (as some writers do) and created very different matches for them. (Hurrah for Balogh!)
I read this book at one sitting and really enjoyed being immersed in the lives of this group of people, as well as the marvelous set pieces (like the picnic). One weakness is that the ending took far too many pages to spin out; it was almost as if Balogh felt she had to hit a certain number of pages to complete the book.

p.s. I liked the fact that Christine's sister Eleanor has changed her life and found something worthwhile to do. She was too good a character in SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS to be left on the shelf. Perhaps there will be a follow up on her......