Blog Tour! PROMISED by Leah Garrett, Reviewed by Debra E. Marvin

I'm pleased to welcome the PROMISED (Proper Romance) blog tour to Inkwell Inspirations!

Deb's Review:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that some of us are just suckers for a Regency-era romance. Author Leah Garriott’s lovely release, Promised, has certainly found favor with readers who concur!

True to expectations, young and single (and in need of a spouse) Margaret Brinton is the center of the story, and we follow her, in first person, through the trials of romantic expectations and disappointments. And poor Margaret has already experienced heartache.

Sounding practical for her age in many ways, Margaret takes part in what felt like an unusual event—a house party meant purely for producing matches of eligible singles. This would be the Regency form of speed dating, I suppose. Margaret leaves her family behind to join the party, with a solid goal in mind—not to find romance, but to find the opposite. Yes, reader. She wants a safe partnership where her heart will not be engaged nor stepped upon.

It was difficult not to see where this was going to go, but Ms. Garriott’s skilled writing was worth the journey. She knows her genre well. If you’re in need of a visit to Regency England, I strongly suggest this well-written story. Don’t forget your trunk of dresses and your curling iron, for the expectations and stakes are high. A good marriage is the most important thing of all. (note I said Marriage as opposed to Love!)

Margaret’s interactions center on two men who are cousins of marrying age. One is too brooding and one is too charming. (Like I said, you know where this will go). Here is where what first felt like maturity gives way. Her justifications for her motivations and actions sound like that of a teenager. However, we were all young once and we can’t fault her for any of it. Plus she's so devoted to her family! Margaret matures throughout the story and that growth provides the one-step-forward, one-step-back we need a hero and heroine to go through to deserve true love. Of this, there is nothing lacking!

Margaret’s family, the neighborhood families, and the antagonistic-but-close relationship of the two male leads are perfectly drawn to please any fan of Austen.  Margaret’s contrariness with the odious Lord Williams hints at a more twenty-first century heroine but should be looked at as part of the story’s charm.  For my tastes, this story would be comfortably classified as Young Adult. While I didn’t fully sign on as a super fan of Margaret, Mr. N and Lord W, I HAD to finish the story to see how the inevitable happy ending would come about.

Overall, a pleasant diversion as ‘promised’!

*I received a digital ARC for review but was under no obligation to provide a positive review. This is my honest opinion.

PROMISE is available in digital ebook, paperback, library binding and audiobook: PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | INDIEBOUND

AUDIBLE | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Margaret Brinton keeps her promises, and the one she is most determined to keep is the promise to protect her heart.

Warwickshire, England, 1812

Fooled by love once before, Margaret vows never to be played the fool again. To keep her vow, she attends a notorious matchmaking party intent on securing the perfect marital match: a union of convenience to someone who could never affect her heart. She discovers a man who exceeds all her hopes in the handsome and obliging rake Mr. Northam.

There’s only one problem. His meddling cousin, Lord Williams, won’t leave Margaret alone. Condescending and high-handed, Lord Williams lectures and insults her. When she refuses to give heed to his counsel, he single-handedly ruins Margaret’s chances for making a good match—to his cousin or anyone else. With no reason to remain at the party, Margaret returns home to discover her father has promised her hand in marriage—to Lord Williams

Under no condition will Margaret consent to marrying such an odious man. Yet as Lord Williams inserts himself into her everyday life, interrupting her family games and following her on morning walks, winning the good opinion of her siblings and proving himself intelligent and even kind, Margaret is forced to realize that Lord Williams is exactly the type of man she’d hoped to marry before she’d learned how much love hurt. When paths diverge and her time with Lord Williams ends, Margaret is faced with her ultimate choice: keep the promises that protect her or break free of them for one more chance at love. Either way, she fears her heart will lose.

 

Author Leah Garriott

AUTHOR BIO:

Though she earned degrees in math and statistics, Leah Garriott lives for a good love story. She's resided in Hawaii and Italy, walked the countryside of England, and owns every mainstream movie version of Pride and Prejudice. She's currently living her own happily ever after in Utah with her husband and three kids. Leah is represented by Sharon Pelletier at Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

Inkwell Inspirations is happy to be part of this tour!

Debut novelist Leah Garriott tours the blogosphere February 17 through March 15, 2020 to share her new historical romance, Promised. Forty popular book bloggers specializing in historical romance, inspirational fiction, and Austenesque fiction will feature guest blogs, interviews, exclusive excerpts, and book reviews of this acclaimed Regency romance novel.

PROMISED: A PROPER ROMANCE BLOG TOUR has been running since February 17th at:

February 17                My Jane Austen Book Club (Guest Blog)

February 17                Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog (Review)

February 18                Katie's Clean Book Collection (Review)

February 18                Wishful Endings (Interview)

February 19                RelzReviewz (Character Spotlight)

February 20                Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen (Spotlight)

February 21                The Lit Bitch (Excerpt)

February 22                The Debutante Ball (Interview)

February 23                Adventure. Romance. Suspense (Review)

February 24                A Bookish Way of Life (Review)

February 24                Austenesque Reviews (Guest Blog)

February 24                Half Agony, Half Hope (Review)

February 25                Frolic Media (Excerpt)

February 26                Heidi Reads (Guest Blog)

February 26                The Caffeinated Bibliophile (Interview)

February 27                Wishful Endings (Review)

February 28                Lu Reviews Books (Review)

February 29                KJ's Book Nook (Review)

March 01                     My Vices and Weaknesses (Excerpt)

March 02                     Bringing Up Books (Review)

March 02                     Christian Chick's Thoughts (Review)

March 02                     For Where Your Treasure Is (Interview)

March 03                     Heidi Reads (Review)

March 03                     So Little Time…So Much to Read (Excerpt)

March 04                     Romance Junkies (Guest Blog)

March 04                     Gwendalyn's Books (Review)

March 05                     Laura's Reviews (Review)

March 06                     Scuffed Slippers Wormy Books (Spotlight)

March 07                     Fiction Aficionado (Review)

March 08                     The Christian Fiction Girl (Review)

March 09                     Austenesque Reviews (Review)

March 10                     Bookfoolery (Review)

March 10                     From Pemberley to Milton (Review)

March 11                     Faithfully Bookish (Interview)

March 12                     Impressions in Ink (Review)

March 13                     Robin Loves Reading (Review)

March 13                     The Green Mockingbird (Review)

March 14                     Inkwell Inspirations (Review)

March 15                     The Calico Critic (Excerpt)

March 15                     Bookworm Nation (Guest Blog)