The Escape: Survivor's Club, Book 3

By: Mary Balogh

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

After surviving the Napoleonic Wars, Sir Benedict Harper is struggling to move on, his body and spirit in need of a healing touch. Never does Ben imagine that hope will come in the form of a beautiful woman who has seen her own share of suffering. After the lingering death of her husband, Samantha McKay is at the mercy of her oppressive in-laws - until she plots an escape to distant Wales to claim a house she has inherited. Being a gentleman, Ben insists that he escort her on the fateful journey. Ben wants Samantha as much as she wants him, but he is cautious. What can a wounded soul offer any woman? Samantha is ready to go where fate takes her, to leave behind polite society and even propriety in her desire for this handsome, honorable soldier. But dare she offer her bruised heart as well as her body? The answers to both their questions may be found in an unlikely place: in each other’s arms.

©2014 Mary Balogh (P)2014 Recorded Books

A lovely escape

Setting: England
Genre: Regency romance

Rosalyn Landor provides her usual wonderful performance. I truly enjoy her work.

This is the third in The Survivor's Club series. The male protagonist was introduced in the first book of the series, The Proposal, and mentioned in passing in The Arrangement, the second book.

The protagonists, Mrs. Samantha McKay and Sir Benedict Harper, are well rounded. They both have their individual challenges: hers is dealing with the overbearing, puritanical family of her late husband, and his is coming to terms with his disability. The plot is engaging. There aren't any huge conflicts, but there are a couple of minor ones. Hmm. I would say this is almost two stories with a road trip in between. The first part focuses on Samantha's situation and Ben's restlessness. The hero and heroine start out disliking one another, though Ben feels a grudging responsibility for Samantha. The road trip shows the gradual change in the relationship to liking and respect. The second part focuses on the relationship between Samantha and Ben, as well as Samantha's adjustment to life in Wales. It is a nice progression.

The novel is followed by an amusing novela, The Suitor, which is set immediately prior to The Arrangement, though the hero is introduced in The Proposal. I'd tell you more about it, but that might spoil it for you.

I highly recommend this audio production. It is worth the time and credit.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Simply - FABULOUS

Surviving the Napoleonic Wars, Sir Benedict Harper for the last six years has struggled mightily to heal both body and soul. Benedict retained his legs despite the doctors never expecting him to walk again, but he has struggled and in pain and perseverance has managed to surprise everyone. After the yearly reunion of the Survivor’s Club the men and woman have left to return to their lives. Benedict choose to visit his sister who was recuperating in the country, never realizing that in doing so, he would meet a beautiful woman who would give him purpose.

Samantha McKay has dutifully cared years for her ailing husband, another mishap from the wars, until his lingering death. For months she has been bound to her house by the oppressive presence of her prudish and spinster sister-in-law whose outlandish ideas of proper mourning are suffocating Samantha.

Meeting Benedict who made a horrendous first impression actually turned out to be very fortuitous for Samantha, once he apologized and introduced his sister, Samantha’s neighbor to help bring some sunshine into Samantha’s closed off world. While both Samantha and Benedict gave each other the benefit of doubt to one another, they formed an easy alliance and when Samantha was ordered to return to her miserable in-laws, she remembered a property that was left to her in the wilds of Scotland.

What follows is the memorable journey Samantha and Benjamin took to her new home, and a journey of discovery for both Ben and Samantha as only Mary Balogh could have depicted with the most sensual and exquisitely sumptuous writing that offered an almost surreal quality to it. Couple that with the amazing performance by esteemed narrator, Rosalyn Landor and you will find yourself totally suspended in time as the story unfolds in a most exquisite way.

THE ESCAPE is totally worth the credit and the time to listen to this wonderful tale.

Marilyn Rondeau

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

An Enjoyable Tale

Where does The Escape rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I bought this as buy one get one and had not read or listened to the author before. Because it was BOGO I was expecting a book only half worth the listen. I had to slow down my listening speed to accommodate the accent of the narrator and was worried at first that there were just too many characters to get to know. This ranked in my top third of audio books.

What other book might you compare The Escape to and why?

I guess I might slightly compare to a Jane Austen book.

Which character – as performed by Rosalyn Landor – was your favorite?

I felt time was taken with the characters and that I got to know them. It is hard to pick a favorite, but I did love Benedict! The main piece I found enjoyable was that the author took her time, the story was not rushed, the ending, was satisfying, there wasn't too much drama, more what felt like natural reactions from people considering their situations.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Did make me smile.

Any additional comments?

Compelling and engaging.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Mary Balogh + Rosalyn Landor = 5 stars all the way

This is another wonderful installment in Mary Balogh's Survivor's Club series about six men and one woman whose lives were forever changed by the Napoleonic Wars. Each book can stand alone, but for maximum enjoyment I recommend reading them all in order. Thus far, each of them has been excellent, with Balogh's trademark flawless writing, strong characterization, beautiful settings, and a heartfelt love story.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

It surpassed my expectations!

Several times I found myself laughing, delighted at the conversations. Clever banter and very delightful acting.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Hidden surprise

I liked this story a lot. The characters felt very real and their struggles were belieable. Our heroine lost her husband after a very long illness. Our hero was hurt in war and was left disabled. Their journey to starting over their lives made them fall in love with each other. The excellent narration of Rosalyn Landor adds extra emotion to the story.
As an added bonus after the main story ends you get a free novella called The Suitor. It's only an hour and a half long so it's very brief but it was good as well and felt pretty complete.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Another lovely romance!

This is one of my favorites in the series, and my second read of it. The plot is particularly intricate, and the main characters cause sparks the moment they meet. I love that we travel from a tiny village in England, to the coast of Wales, with the amazing Rosalyn Landor -- who throws down all the perfect dialects like the pro she is.

The HEA is won, and the way this book moves the rest of the series along is perfect.

If you haven't read it yet, you may be looking for details about the plot. I will say there are no triggers here, unless a horse has flown over a hedge above your head -- or you have spent years of your life taking care of a cheating, narcissistic spouse you neither loved nor mourned. Otherwise, you're good to go.

This is a story of two adults who enter into a short-term relationship wherein they can let down their guard and find comfort in a cozy house on a sandy shore. What happens after that is the best part.

Highly Recommended.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Beautiful story!

Loved the story and the magical imagery that was woven for the reader. Can't wait to read the next book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

If its by Mary Balogh, it must be good

And as usual, it was another very good Mary Balogh story. This was a great fairy tale but I couldn't put it down, so to speak. I loved it. Also enjoyed Roslyn Landor's performance. Great combination of author and narrator equals a great review.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Historical?

Mary Balogh has been writing historical romances for many years - some of them quite good. So I saw this on sale and took a chance. And was very disappointed.

Our hero is one of a tediously saintly group of Napoleon War survivors - admirable men and a woman who have overcome terrible physical and mental injuries in battle but who lack just about any realistic human qualities. And our heroine is a supremely put-upon widow whose trials seem to be based mostly on her partial gypsy origins. So the two make a determinedly brave pair.

As the romance slowly develops, we are introduced to mean and horrible family members and eventually to an idyllic time spent by our lovers in Wales. Suddenly quite lovely and utterly surprising family attachments appear, and our heroine is now rich and appreciated by villagers who care not that a torrid love affair is being conducted by their recently bereaved new neighbor.

Things work out in the end, of course, and our lovely couple face a future of happiness together as the Industrial Revolution promises to make them even richer and more beloved by the happily singing Welsh people who are increasingly being put to work down the family's coal mines.

I know this is meant to be light entertainment, but the complete disregard of the social and moral rules of the time is startling. Evidently Balogh believes readers no longer care (or, worse, don't know) about historical accuracy. And never to even hint at the less positive side of the emerging industries which she introduces into this plot line is a real distraction.

I was constantly thinking of repressive Victorian morals and of the black skies and dangerous working conditions in early mining towns. Just not real conducive to happily-ever-after!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful