Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Promised by Leah Garriott (PROMISED: A PROPER ROMANCE BLOG TOUR)


What do you do when you’ve promised never to love again?  In Regency England, a woman did not have the option not to marry.  How would she support herself?  An unmarried woman becomes a liability to her parents and after their deaths, to her brothers or other male relatives.  Margaret Brinton was engaged to her childhood friend and neighbor Edward only to find out he was only marrying her to gain access to his inheritance.  He also was cheating on her.  Broken hearted, Margaret attends a matchmaker’s function to try to find herself a husband. It will be a marriage of convenience where she is able to know what she is getting into.  She finds the perfect man in Mr. Northam, but her path to engagement with him is foiled by his dour cousin, Lord Williams.

Margaret returns home only to discover much to her dismay that her parents have arranged an engagement to . . .. Lord Williams of all people.  Margaret is furious and not sure what to do at having to marry someone she dislikes.  As Lord Williams and Margaret get to know each other, will Margaret’s prejudice change?  Why does Lord Williams want to marry her?

I loved this Regency romance.  I thought all of the characters were wonderful.  I loved Margaret’s brother Daniel.  He was looking out for her best interest, but he also loved to needle her just like a brother would do.  The novel had humor I enjoyed as well and was very witty.  I am always partial to a story where the characters have a misunderstanding upon first meeting and are able to get to know each other and change their points of view.  The plot was interesting and it was not until the end that I was able to put together the complete story of what was going on between Mr. Northam and Lord Williams.  Margaret’s family and neighbors were interesting.  The story did not have a large cast of characters, but I enjoyed them all.

Overall, Promised is a perfect Regency romance with a great story, characters, and humor. 

Book Source:  Review Copy for being a part of the blog tour.  Thank-you!


QUICK FACTS:

  • Title: Promised: A Proper Romance
  • Author: Leah Garriott
  • Tour Dates: February 17 – March 15, 2020
  • Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Inspirational Fiction
  • Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing (February 18, 2020)
  • Length (368) pages
  • Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1629726144
  • eBook ASIN: B082VK732L
  • Audiobook ASIN: B081VS45P4


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.
 
EARLY PRAISE:

"Promising Regency-set debut. Vivid period details and the hero's grand romantic efforts will please fans of historical romance."—Publishers Weekly

"Debut -author Garriott's smooth prose and character-driven story will enthrall readers looking for sweet historicals with Austenesque plots."—Library Journal

"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

“Promised is a sweet regency romance and one that I recommend to all of you romance fans, especially those of you that enjoy stories inspired by Jane Austen.”—The Book Diva’s Reads

“…a fun, entertaining, and perfect addition to the Proper Romance collection.”—The Readathon

“With an Austen-like focus on minute emotional detail and some amusing secondary characters, Garriott’s gentle novel promises a treat for Regency fans who like their characters well-bred, their interiors comfortable, and the romance no racier than the hero turning up in a wet shirt.”—Historical Novel Society


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.



BLOG TOUR BLURB:


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 SCHEDULE:

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)

4 comments:

  1. Great review. You've whet my appetite for this one!

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  2. This one does sound really good. :)

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  3. Thank you for hosting this blog tour stop and for taking the time to review Promised!

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  4. Thank-you! I really enjoyed this one. It's a perfect book to read right now.

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