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.
Title: Promised
Author: Leah Garriott
Published: February 18th 2020 by Shadow Mountain
Genre: Romance, Proper Romance, Historical Romance
Stars: 4 Content: Clean
January is like a Monday… only longer. That has been my theme this month. Here in Utah it is dark and dreary. It’s cold and I just want to wish the next few months away. However, it makes lots of time for being indoors and reading books!
I have been so lucky to review for Shadow Mountain Publishing! I adore their Proper Romance titles and this debut by Leah Garriott was such a fun one! I adored Margaret. She is young and romantic but then at the same time still naive and scared to open up her heart again. After being hurt she decided that she just wants a marriage of convenience. Lord Williams is stuck being competitive with his cousin in almost everything. Always trying to prove himself, only to find out that his heart is actually involved in this particular competition. I love reading about families in this era that are founded on love and not convenience. Its wonderful to see the banter and affection between them.
I will say, they only thing that I had a hard time with was feeling like it was a little long. Sometimes I just get so impatient to get to the end. I just wanted everyone to be honest with themselves and each other all ready!! The story was a fun one. There were a few plots and twists I wasn’t expecting. Overall it was an enjoyable read!! Thanks for reading friends!
xoxo,
Continue reading to find out about the author!
Though she earned degrees in math and statistics, Leah Garriott lives for a good love story. She has resided in Hawaii and Italy, has 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.
Visit the author at www.LeahGarriott.com
Advance Praise/Endorsements:
“Garriott’s impressive debut distinguishes itself with its expertly evoked Regency setting, a cast of realistically flawed yet eminently relatable characters, and a sweetly satisfying love story. Teen fans of Austen-era love stories will fall hard for this impeccably crafted romance.”
–Booklist
“Promising Regency-set debut. Vivid period details and the hero’s grand romantic efforts will please fans of historical romance.”
–Publishers Weekly
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