In SOMEONE TO LOVE, author Mary Balogh gives us a story that's part fairy tale, part "My Fair Lady." Anna is well educated, thanks to the private orphanage in Bath, but she lacks a working knowledge of the peerage, has no appropriate clothes, and doesn't even know the waltz. It falls to the women of her newfound family to get her up to snuff.

Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, is Anna's cousin by marriage. He is intrigued by her serious nature and strong self-confidence. As he spends time with Anna, he realizes that he can set aside the persona he wears like armor and be himself with her. When Anna's London debut is a rousing success, he also realizes he'll have to act fast if he doesn't want to risk losing her.

Balogh has a gift for developing unique characters that are still utterly true to the period. Avery and Anna are perfect examples. Anna is at once self-assured and uncertain, caught up in a world from which she wants only one thing -- the family that is still lost to her. Avery exudes power and danger, but as we get inside his head, we learn how vulnerable he is and why he's so alone. The result is a compelling and delightful journey of transformation and preservation of self.

SOMEONE TO LOVE is the first in Balogh's new Westcott Series. We meet most of the family in the first few chapters, and it is as mindboggling for us as it is for Anna. Balogh kindly includes a family tree in the front, to help readers keep everyone straight. As the novel goes on, we get to know some of them quite well, and it's quite a tease for the rest of the stories.

I highly recommend SOMEONE TO LOVE for fans of historical fiction and Regency romance. Certainly if you are a regular reader of Balogh's books, you have a real treat in store.

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