Remember Me is the second book in a series about the Ware siblings, who had their lives interrupted by a family scandal, changing their family forever. I enjoyed the first book (Remember Love), so I was really excited to get my hands on this one. Sadly, however, I was very disappointed.

Philippa is the oldest Ware daughter, she was only fifteen the revelation of her father’s many indiscretions fractured her family. That, however, isn’t the reason she has remained single and not had a season in London: Philippa once heard herself described as “soiled goods” and knew she could not stomach the rejection of the ton. It is only years later, once her older brother has returned from exile, that Philippa agrees to enter society,

Lucas Arden is the heir to his grandfather, the elderly Duke of Wilby. Despite being only in his late twenties, his grandparents decide he should marry and fill his nursery, as soon as possible, because the Duke is not in good health, and the succession must be assured. Lucas resolves to find a bride, but he knows the choice is only nominally his. His grandparents insist on high standards, and their list of eligible ladies will be short. Little does he know how very, very short it will end up being.

When Lucas and Philippa meet, he is charmed by her, and she hates him. He does not recognize her, but it was he who insulted Philippa all those years ago, because of her father’s reputation. Philippa confronts him, but Lucas is unable to give her a satisfactory explanation for his behavior. Unfortunately, they are unable to avoid each other’s company. Philippa has unknowingly befriended Lucas’ younger sister, and the pair is forced into proximity with alarming frequency. Once they have come to an uncomfortable truce, Lucas’ grandparents throw a wrench into matters by putting Philippa at the top of their list of potential wives.

There are some things I did genuinely enjoy about this book. I liked Philippa, and I enjoyed seeing more of the Ware family. Their dynamic is one of the things I loved so much about the first book, and I am still interested to see where the other stories will go. I also appreciated the disability representation; Lucas’ little sister Jenny uses a wheelchair owing to a weakness in the legs as the result of a childhood illness and I liked that her family treats her like any other eligible young lady, and that Jenny enjoys the season and has a full life outside of her disability.

My primary issue with the book is the love story: I just didn’t buy that Lucas and Philippa loved  each other. The pacing is a huge problem, and it’s not helped by the repetitiveness in the writing. I also could not suspend disbelief at Philippa’s choices. Families are frequently skeptical about the partners their relatives have chosen, but in this book I was fully with them, because Lucas and Philippa married at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. Of course, the reader knows that Lucas isn’t a bad person, but I really didn’t see any reason for Philippa to fall in love with him. It seemed like most of their scenes together included family members’ unsubtle matchmaking.

I did not fully realize how little content there is in this book until I got to the end. The pacing is problematic – and then there’s a plot twist in the epilogue. That’s not what the epilogue is for!  I also disliked the other plot twist in one of the final chapters, which feels completely  unnecessary. Even if  you enjoyed Remember Love, you can just skip Remember Me. It hasn’t got much substance.

 

Rachel Finston

Rachel Finston

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

5 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
nblibgirl

Thank you Rachel and Lisa for both of these reviews of the same book – it is so interesting to read such divergent reactions. And having written a couple of reviews (or blog comments) for AAR now, for books that didn’t work for me in some way, I can only tip my hat to people brave enough to write something that either is, or can be perceived to be, negative. It’s no fun – especially since you started out hoping for something you’d really like.

Lisa Fernandes

We can definitely agree on the Ware family dynamics being a lot of fun in this one; normally I’m not super into matchmaking and it got a bit ridiculous. I’m willing to defend the epilogue’s plot twist, if only because it added to the plot for me. But I definitely liked the love story here more.

Still reading

I will be interested to see how I like this one. Balogh is always a must-read for me, and I find her families part of the attraction in her writing, either because I like the family members or because I like the way her disfunctional families propel her plots and characterizations.

That said, I was very underwhelmed by the first book in this series, which seemed to have a lot of laborious setup. After the powerful start to the Westcott series, the contrast worries me. I don’t think the Wares are going to be as compelling as the Butlers and Bedwyns or the Westcotts.

There are some characters in the Westcott series who I hoped would get their own books. I wish Balogh had gone on to write those books. Does anyone know if Balogh wanted to leave the Westcott extended family behind, or if her publisher pushed for a new series?

Dabney Grinnan

I am just sort of done with Balogh at this point. There’s a sameness to her recent books that just doesn’t call to me. Which is a bummer because I’ve loved many of her novels.

Lisa Fernandes

I hope you like it, Still Reading!