I'm pleased to welcome the PROMISED (Proper Romance) blog tour to Inkwell Inspirations!
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:
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.
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.
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)
Thanks for the lovely review, Debra! I love Regency romances, too.
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