I adored this proper Regency romance. It had a bit of hate to love, a bit of secrets, a bit of drama and quite a few swoon worthy conversations and moments. I loved the chemistry and tension between the main characters. I loved how Margaret was so determined to protect her heart and the subtle ways that the love interest was able to get through her defenses. The family bonds were strong. I particularly loved the sibling love and light hearted competitive rivalries. The dialogue was witty and heartwarming. I would absolutely love to read more from this author.

I loved this book! It was such a great book for this summer authors debuted book!
She did such a great job at writing it. You could not tell it was her first book! It was truly a great boo!

I love the premise for this story: our heroine has made herself a promise. She will protect her heart in the future. She’s suffered a broken heart. So, Margaret will go into a relationship with her eyes wide open. And she’ll avoid love. She thinks. The Proper Romance novels are often so delicious. I hadn’t read this author before (later I learned this is her debut novel), but I knew with that cover, and since it was from that line, I had to give it a try. So glad I did. The story kept me hooked. Just when I thought the plot might wind down, it picked up momentum again and I was more delighted than before.

The author is adept at including symbolism, and I relished the hidden messages and dialogue subtext. Her descriptions immersed me in the setting and helped me experience the story with the characters. I loved the setting of the English countryside and the manors. Mentions of lakes and rivers and trees and gardens.

Our hero is a mystery. Since the story is solely first person from the heroine’s POV, and we never have the advantage of another’s point of view, we are left wondering what he’s thinking and what his motives are.

Once we understand what the hero is about, we love him. He’s determined and honorable and gentle. There were a few confusing moments because again, we’re only in her POV. And at times, though overall the romance threads were enjoyable, the heroine's internal monologue felt a little juvenile. The narrative was a bit redundant while the heroine ruminated. It’s believable that someone would deliberate over and over, but it isn’t always engaging. I read the ARC, and this element may have been worked out in the editing and rewriting stage. Still, I didn’t skim very often.

Overall, a very enjoyable debut by a promising author! I’ll watch for her next book.

3.5
Well maybe not the best Regency I've read but it was still fun. Margaret is determined to catch the eye of Mr. Northam and she will settle for no one else. So why is she so bothered by Lord Williams? Maybe because he offends her with his haughtiness and arrogance.
Lord Williams is trying his best to make sure she doesn't get trapped in his cousin, Northam's, rakish ways. Going as far as securing his own engagement to Margaret behind her back.
While I enjoyed the back and forth of jesting been the two.... Most times I just wanted them to ACTUALLY talk!
I had to laugh a lot though at the donkey near the end.... Trust me, the donkey part is funny.

A good start for a debut author---

Short Version: Margaret, hurt by a unfaithful fiancé', swears off marrying for love and decides to enter into a marriage of convenience. Two cousins compete for Margaret's hand, both using underhanded techniques to outcompete each other. Torn between the two Margaret realizes she can't be in a loveless marriage as she falls in love with one of them.

Long version: *SPOILERS*

I actually liked the plot. The execution could use some work, emphasized by the further development of characterization & relatability to character and the pacing.

The beginning is a little confusing. More lead in to what is happening, such as a small conversation between siblings before arriving at the matchmaking party, in the carriage or such, detailing /what/ the party is about.

Margaret was an okay character. I struggled to understand some of her motives and reasoning. I feel that more emphasis on showing us character motivations, and actually letting the readers like the main character. She was a bit abrasive and baffling in her decision making.

Lord Williams... I did like that he had a secret. His reasons for engaging himself to her was mysterious and underhanded and I really liked that about the plot. When the secret really came out-- it was kind of distasteful. He was competing with his cousin and basically the cousin would become 'pure and good' if Lord Williams could marry Margaret or something. This makes Lord Williams the upright and righteous cousin and the other cousin the black sheep prodigal son. It seemed that the cousin had no redeeming qualities, and Lord William practically perfect, deceitful lying not withstanding.

Put simply I really liked the plot but the characterization needs improving; I want them to be more human and relatable.

3 Stars- bored at times and I did skip a little at the beginning.

Okay, this one was hard for me to get into. I started and stopped a bunch of times because, in the beginning, the main character was SO intractable she annoyed me immensely! But once I got past the intro part and into the meat of the story it mostly validated the beginning and became enjoyable. Hurt will make a person do a lot of strange things as Margaret does. I still don't understand the meeting on the road home, but I appreciated Lord Williams' attempts to woo her while allowing her time to come around on her own. But the stubborn thing that she was, she almost took too long - that was frustrating, which is why it only got the three stars from me. Still, in the end, I'm glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC. #Promised #NetGalley

Having had her heart broken, Margaret is determined this would never happen again. So she is determined to make find a marriage mate, with love being the furthest thing from her mind. Attending a matchmaking party might just be the answer to her situation.

Margaret spots the perfect candidate, a handsome rake called Mr. Northam. She knows love will never factor in such a marriage and she will be able to live her life going forward.

While Margaret works to secure Mr. Northam's attention, she runs into a problem in the form of his cousin, Lord Williams. He sees exactly what Margaret is about, but more than that, he has very good reason to believe his cousin is the worst possible choice for her. Lord Williams pretty much plants himself in Margaret's path at every turn. The fact that they are both drawn to one another is most certainly a problem. However, Margaret refuses to give her feelings any credence, as she was hurt before, thinking about a man she could possibly love is certainly bound to cause more pain.

This clean romance has a rather slow burn, but is a wonderful story throughout. When reading marriage of convenience stories it was rather nice to see another character step on the seen and win the woman's heart. This regency romance had a few twists and surprises to keep the story flowing. I love the style in which Leah Garriott wrote this book and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Many thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and to InkSlinger PR for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Another great historical fiction that is sure to delight. I cant wait to read another book by this author. If you are a fan of regency fiction than this is the book for you.

This was an interesting take on the regency trope of not looking for love. I would rate it sweet and clean, PG for kissing.

This delightful book has a wonderful cast of interesting characters. It is well written. It evoked a lot of emotions as the characters grew throughout the book. I loved the first person voice of the main character. It was enchanting!

The Proper Romance books are sometimes obviously related and sometimes not. However, they have all been read with great satisfaction about the story and the characters. There are more than one author listed for the Proper Romance books. But they have all maintained excellent consistency so I know when I choose one that no matter the characters or the story that I will enjoy it.

I might have found my new favorite author! When I say that I could not put this book down I mean this book did not leave my hands for 5 straight hours.This book is reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice, it has a smart female heroine in Margaret, and a brooding mysterious Barron in Gregory. At the end of the book I wanted to continue reading about these characters...that has not happened often.
Thank you for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This book had a real Jane Austen feel to it, it's the first book for Leah Garriott you can feel her love for Regency Romance through the words she writes. This story is told by Margaret’s point of view of heroin of this book in the first-person style which is a change to what I have been reading lately.

In this enemies-to-lovers trope, we meet Miss Margaret Brinton a young lady determined to keep her promise to herself to not get her heartbroken again. If she must marry it will definitely not be for Love.

Margaret meets Lord Williams and his cousin Mr Northam at a Mrs Hickmore's house party she attends with her brother Daniel. Where her wish to find a marriage of convenience is upset by these two gentlemen, they are so completely different from each other as can be. One is a Lord and One is a Rake.

I must say I loved the cover of this book and it was the first thing that drew me in to read the blurb of this book. The story was interesting and had me want to keep reading but it didn't grab my undivided attention. I look forward to reading more by this new author and wish her all the best with her newfound gift.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to which I am giving my honest review. Thank you.

This book is for anyone who likes a sweet, simple Regency romance. It’s a bit of an enemies to lovers romance, and I can tell it took some inspiration from Pride and Prejudice. My personal review is that it was fine, but it didn’t grab me as much as I hoped. There are some miscommunications that are drawn out longer than I felt needed. And some unnecessary stubbornness on the part of the heroine, in my mind. It’s a quick read, so if you want a quick sweet Regency fix, this is your book :)

I could not wait to read Promised…then I could hardly bear it to end!

We meet Margaret Brinton. Already experienced a broken heart, Margaret is not interested in having it happen again. She sets her mind on a marriage of convenience: a husband who is tolerable and acceptable but has no access to her heart.

With that mission in mind, Margaret attends a house party, which is more a matchmaking gathering, and decides that Frederick Northam is just the sort of man she might be looking for. Enter his cousin Lord Gregory Williams - who has his own agenda, and who throws all kinds of mess around her carefully thought out plans.

Promised is an absolute gem of a story. Leah Garriott’s characters are engaging, the storyline is flowing, settings are depicted charmingly, and her diction is accomplished.

It is a delightful, spirited, daydreamy, must-read romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing, for the read of Leah Garriott’s, Promised.

Opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.

Promised is a LOVELY escape to England with a swoony romance! This story has all the fun elements one can expect from a Regency story since Jane Austen set the standard. More than witty characters, though, and a search for a convenient love match, Promised features a sensible and intelligent romance whose main couple is matched in humor, intelligence, AND love.

This story is told in first person POV, a rare and tricky thing in the historical genre. Leah Garriott manages this well, though there were a few times I struggled to like the heroine, Margaret, or understand some of her reasoning. She does exhibit growth, though, and I like the way she finally makes some conscious decisions and chooses to extend forgiveness to a certain character in the end.

The colorful cast of characters, likened to an Austen cast (again), is a fun treat! I particularly liked Mr. Lundall and his humorous role — and the way he figures unexpectedly in showing Margaret a few things about herself. Margaret’s siblings, too, have a playful and sweet dynamic. The best relationship, though, is between Margaret and Lord Williams. Any time they share a scene together, the tension is palpable. From a love/hate stance to tentative respect to understanding, I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow.

The Regency era setting brings to light Margaret’s socially expected role in life versus the way she is trying to shield herself with her own choices. Through some subterfuge, connections over music, a “Pemberley” moment, and lovely banter with the hero, Margaret begins to find hope for her future, even if it is unexpected. I will look forward to whatever historical novel Leah writes next — and I hope we get a future glimpse of these characters again!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. This is my honest review.

Excellent Regency romance! Loved the characters. Loved the personal issues the heroine had to work through and the patience the hero had for her and the way he shared and showed his loved. Super story telling.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists,
and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive
reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

This was a sweet, entertaining read. A nice little escape. Lady Margaret broke off one engagement when she found out her fiance was unfaithful. Afraid of being hurt, of being an old maid, and of being a blemish on her family, she decides she will marry someone she could never love and one who would never love her. It will be a marriage of convenience only. She goes to a match-making retreat and there finds the perfect man. He is a rogue that she would never love. The problem, his cousin who is nice, respectable, and handsome is also interested. Oh what is a girl to do?! This was cute and easy-to-read. If you love Jane Austen , I think you will love this book.

In Promised, by Leah Garriott, we meet Margaret who has had her heart broken. She decides that she'll never give her heart away again and will be content with a marriage of convenience. She meets a known rake named Mr. Northam and Margaret decides he's the perfect man for her to marry and thus protect her heart. Unfortunately, his cousin, Lord Williams, decides he wants Margaret for his own and offers for her. But Margaret is determined to lock her heart away, no matter how handsome Lord Williams is or how he makes her smile. Will her heart be able to rule her head? Or will it be her undoing?

I loved the hero, Lord Williams. He has such a great character arc as his character is slowly revealed throughout the story. His actions toward Margaret are so puzzling at first, but when all is made clear, I wanted to go back and re-read those parts! Margaret is a stubborn woman who is determined to push away any man who could win her heart. She draws out her own emotional pain by sticking to promises that should have been abandoned long ago (and this does drag down the pacing of the book a bit) but she is relatable and the reader will root for her to see the truth of the situation. I enjoyed Margaret's family and the rest of the secondary cast. The author is skilled at really making them memorable. The setting was easy to imagine, especially the Brinton's estate, and the symbolism of the lake for the characters was particularly well done. This is a book you will finish with all the happy feels. I will definitely look for more by this author!

What more can I say than, I absolutely loved it, to convey what I thought about this book! Margaret has suffered heartache and she's going to take matters into her own hands to ensure that never happens again. Ha! She's in for some rude awakenings throughout this book if she thinks she can plan what her heart is going to do and feel. The heart knows what it wants and hers is no different...nor a certain gentleman's heart for that matter. *smirks*

I knew this was Leah Garriott's first published novel but I did not feel like it was while reading it. I felt that the characters were very well developed. The chemistry between them was very palpable and as a reader drew me in completely to their story.

There are so many scenes that I want to tell you about because of how much I laughed, cried (from laughing) and was moved emotionally. Margaret thinks she knows what is in store for her but there are several twists and turns and things she once thought are being rearranged and discarded.

I loved her walks by the lake...solitary and otherwise. And the moments of falling into the water, funny! Or any scene when one of the characters falls, had me giggling. There is plenty of humor written throughout this book as well as worry, heartache, uncertainty, vulnerability, sorrow, friendship, family and love. This is a book that I will be sharing with family friends...I've already recommended it to many fellow readers and they've loved it too!

Content: Clean. A few kisses but nothing more.

I received a copy from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. I've also purchased my own physical copy. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!