Rane Aria

Kit Butler has been ordered to take up the reins deemed by his family and marry, wanting to thwart his father’s plans for a his marriage and when a wager is set between him a his fellow friends to marry the coldest and most proper woman of the season in a short amount of time, Kit is surprised when this woman he’s out to marry sets him a new wager. Once a jilted bride Lauren Edgeworth is getting back into society after her misfortune almost wedding, when well know rake Viscount Ravensberg starts to play court to her, she finds it odd that he wants to marry her so quickly, and when Lauren asks for the truth, she sees this as a chance to get away from the life she’s know and have a truly wonderful summer to remember, the summer is only beginning and so is the chance of love....... Mary Balogh’s words in Summer to Remember fondly trigger fond memories of my own past summers, with fun and games, listening to Seals and Crofts Summer Breeze, hanging out with friends and just being with the one that makes you heart flutter in your chest by just being near them... Kit Butler has been at odds with his family for three years after returning home with his younger brother broken from torture and war. Blaming himself, his family sends him away, with his mask of carefreeness firmly in place, Kit goes through the ton as a rake one whom gets a kick out of shocking everyone. When Kit receives a letter from his father ordering him to marry someone chosen for him and take up the responsible of his title, Kit decides to thwart the plan and marry someone of his choice. After a fight in the park and with his friends a wager is set that Kit will marry before the end of the month the most proper and cold Lauren Edgeworth, but when the plan goes wary, Kit is surprised when Lauren set a new wager between the two, one where he would have his betrothal but fake and Lauren will have a summer to remember, parting way at the end of the summer.. unknown to Kit, the summer only starts a love he never knew he feel for Lauren..... Lauren life shatter a year before, when at her wedding, she becomes a jilted bride when she finds her betrothal is already married to a woman whom was thought to be dead. Lauren has lived her life as the proper, cool miss, a true lady in order to be accepted by her adopted family, to hide her longing for a mother whom left her behind as a child. One day in the park she comes a fight with the shocking Viscount Ravensberg, only to have him shortly there after try to play court to her and ask for her hand in marriage, knowing something is up, Lauren gets Kit to tell her the truth. Lauren sees this a chance of a lifetime, to do something exciting before she chooses to live her life as a spinster. With the wager set, Lauren enter’s Kit’s life to repair and heal the wounds from the past three years, but as she changes Kit’s life, he slowly starts to change hers as well, with love blossoming in the summer days...... I always known am in for a deep read with any of MB’s works, the depth of her characters always amaze me, as the layers of Kit and Lauren are slowly peeled away, their masks falling away to show two wounded souls drawn to one another. Kit blamed himself for what happen to his younger brother, and went mad a summer three years ago, the topper was the fight with his older brother and his brother’s sudden betrothal to a woman he desired to marry himself. Kit didn’t understand the damage he was doing not only to himself but his family who were also to blame, who didn’t try to reason with him, and Kit became the scapegoat of sorts for all around. The pain runs deep for Kit when his older brother dies living him not having the chance to ask for his forgiveness and saying good-bye and his war torn memories that plague. Kit and Lauren wore different mask, but nevertheless wore masks to hide the pain they dealt with everyday. Kit’s carefree mask and Lauren’s cool lady. When the wager and plan is set between Kit and Lauren, we start to see Kit’s true face reveled. Kit’s humor and joy he showed to Lauren was beautiful, simply things from climbing a tree and taking a swim, you saw Kit finally letting go of the darkness that followed him while helping Lauren deal with hers. Kit was funny, and just amazing as he showed Lauren she could just enjoy being alive. Lauren cool mask, slips away as the summer days past, with Kit showing her the simply things in life, the simple pleasures of just being alive. Lauren came to terms with many things, her almost wedding, her mother leaving her behind and finally finding her true self. Lauren healed many family wounds in Kit’s family between Kit and his younger brother Syd. Kit and Lauren heal each other wounds, while they slowly start to fall in love with one another, the process is slow, but it makes it only that much sweeter when they tell one another their feelings. There was some very memorable secondary characters, mostly the Bedwyins, whom were a strong family, and although they tried to throw their weight around with Lauren, Lauren, lady like set them down in style. Freyja the woman Kit was madly in love with, and his brother’s betrothal is at times was very hurtful and hateful, the reason she acted the way comes to light later on, but I still couldn’t bring myself to like her but I did pity her. Even the great Bedwyins couldn’t take away the center stage from the gentle love that bloomed between Kit and Lauren and their love story, I loved the easy pace the story is told, much like a summer breeze... Overall: MB is such a strong story-teller, with the depth she gives all her characters and Kit and Lauren just prove how amazing MB is as she tells their love story and their wounds being healed by one another’s love......Summer breeze, makes me feel fineBlowing through the jasmine in my mindSummer breeze, makes me feel fineBlowing through the jasmine in my mind..........