Review: "Promised" by Leah Garriott

Welcome to my stop on the Promised blog tour! (You can see the full schedule below.) Over the last several years, I've fallen in love with Regency romance, so when I heard about the Promised tour, I was eager to join—not just because of the Regency aspect, but also because it's part of Shadow Mountain Publishing's "Proper Romance" line, which I've been curious about 🙂.

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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.

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Oh. My. Goodness. I absolutely could not put this book down! Promised is a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance. It's full of humor, intriguing characters, and "just kiss already" moments.

Yes, Margaret is a little too naive, and Gregory is too reticent to share the truth, but I could forgive those things because I was just having so much fun reading! Theirs is a slow-burn romance of the s.l.o.w.e.s.t. variety, but I never felt like the book was too long. I enjoyed every second I spent reading it!

The novel is written in first person (something I'm not sure I've encountered in a Regency before), and, though though the settings are different, it reminded me a lot of Dawn Crandall's Everstone Chronicles, which is a very positive thing! I've definitely found another must-read author in Garriott, and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next. 5 stars.

Buy the book (affiliate link).

Follow the 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.

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)

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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.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."