BOOK REVIEW- SILENT MELODY by Mary Balogh

Lady Emily Marlowe is beautiful, independent, and unspoiled. Deaf since childhood, she appreciates her family’s efforts to nurture her spirit, but the man they’ve chosen for her betrothal can never fulfill her. The only one Emily has ever desired is bold and reckless Lord Ashley Kendrick. Her childhood amour inspired her fantasies and vowed never to forget her—even as he left her for a new life in India and a new love.

Seven years and countless dreams later, Ashley has returned a desolate widower to Bowden Abbey and, true to his promise, to Emily. Yet his heedless proposal of marriage has left her unexpectedly conflicted. Though the heat of passion still burns, Emily fears that it’s only a sense of duty—not love—that has brought him to bended knee. And what is she to make of those seven lost years clouded in secrets too dark for Ashley to share?

For Emily, her greatest and only love now becomes one worth fighting for, one of startling revelations and second chances, and one, like a melody, too beautiful for words....  AMAZON 3.5 STARS

Lovely book cover and some lovely moments but I feel like it had more potential that it didn't meet, for me at least.

It had it's good points.  I really liked the main characters and felt like they had really good depth.  I liked reading about how she interacted with nature and found some her grounding in being free there. 

 It was an emotional story with good secondary people too.  She had a loving family but some at times were trying to mold her in their image of proper.  Some of it tried to stifle who she was.  

It had mysteries and secrets but on the down side, it felt like there were too many secrets.  Ones that weren't communicated and they could have been and saved a lot of grief for all. 
Of course I understand sometimes that is a necessary part of a story. 
It just felt like some of it went on too long.  And the same emotional issues of Emily and Ashley was repeated too many times for my liking. 
It also slowed the pace of the book for me.

A plus was that there were some twists and turns that added to the enjoyment of the story. Some dangerous mysteries were revealed.
The tenderness that Ashley showed Emily, "his little fawn" was sweet.  But he often unintentionally hurt her too.  There interaction as they learned to communicate over the years and now added tenderness to the story..
All in all, I guess I would have to say it was a mixed bag for me.  I think that I have read other books by this author that I liked better.