I was very intrigued when I got asked if I wanted to be a part of the blog tour for this book. With a young lady who has been unlucky in love and a Darcy-esque main love interest, I was ready to read it. I was not prepared for how much anger that Margaret holds on too because of her broken engagement two years prior and how she doesn't want love in a marriage. It's funny to watch her interact with Lord Williams as he trying to get her to marry him (even after a forced engagement) and she wants nothing to do with him at all. Eventually, she falls in love with him but finds out his interest in her was because of a bet. They eventually work things out and get married.

I really enjoyed this book and I would love to see more books from Leah Garriott again in the future.

Promised by Leah Garriott is an immersive Regency reading experience featuring a strong and intelligent heroine determined to navigate the precarious marriage market on her own terms and the man who thwarts her every last carefully planned step to do so.

Still reeling from a broken heart, Margaret Brinton decides she will play the marriage game on her own terms - even to go so far as procure a union of convenience to notorious rake Mr. Northam. You know where you stand with a rake, Margaret believes.  And while she may one day be hurt, she at least understands the truth about his character upfront. Yet during the weekend visit arranged to secure her fate, she crosses paths with Lord Gregory Williams who is so determined to stop her plans to marry Mr. Northam that he makes an arrangement with her father for her hand.   Surprised and appalled that Lord Williams would want a convenient marriage with the woman he publicly slighted at a musical evening, Margaret’s heart is torn between fulfilling her self-promise never to be taken for a fool in love again and her burgeoning confusion at Lord Williams’ evident contradictions. For as much as Lord Williams seems to disagree with her at every turn, his persistence in his pursuit and the lengths he will go to keep her from his cousin Mr. Northam perplex and infuriate her as she attempts to read the secrets of his heart and her own.

As a die-hard Regency era reader I’ll admit that it can be difficult to sift through many similar plots and tropes in pursuit of the next fresh voice.  By developing a heroine set on asserting her own agency in a society that would see her conform to the proper expectations of her breeding and circumstance, Garriott provides a needed look at the fallacies and limitations of an era we drape in romance. Thus, Promised is simultaneously a valentine to the Regency era and a deft critique of the few choices women had to secure a future of their own making.  To achieve this balance, Garriott relies on many tropes and devices familiar and beloved to Regency readers (and most Austenites), but her alluring voice and engagingly strong heroine make you feel as if you are encountering them for the first time.

There are some truly lovely and subtle Austen references peppered throughout including a musical gathering, the set-up of easels for painting á la Emma and Harriet, a seminal ball (“A ball is a wonderful place to change opinions”, the book explains), as well as a heart-wrenching vigil when Margaret waits at the side her ill sister much in the vein of Elinor awaiting Marianne’s fate. Mr. Northam’s obvious association to the attractive rake Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility keeps him at the forefront of the reader’s mind even during his significant time off-page. Lord Williams displays many of the qualities indigenous to Austen from the steadfast heart of Brandon, the quiet and stalwart character of Wentworth and the sometimes appalling manners of Darcy (including a slight at a musical evening). But it is when Lord Williams’ gestures - both grand and small - recall Emma’s Mr. Knightley that we see the latter’s determination to see the heroine even better than she does herself and in turn fall deeply for him. Indeed, it is Lord Williams who encourages Margaret to see her potential even beyond her initial reticence toward him and the many times they seem at odds.  For a woman stubbornly set on shaping her life, her past wounds have left her open to moments of believably vulnerable self-doubt. In this, Garriott has created a dimensional and achingly real character many readers will identify with.

The disagreements and misunderstandings that keep Lord Williams and Margaret from falling on the same page are clearly a result of the social restrictions and repressed communications of the era.  While frustrating, and often heightened by Margaret’s seeming stubbornness, her depth of character and our awareness of her broken heart and cautious trust cannot help but inspire our sympathies for both parties.    To add, despite Margaret’s numerous attempts to thwart Lord Williams’ pursuit, the most interesting facets of her character are revealed in their banter and exchanges.

Lord Williams, too, is impressed by the authenticity of their exchanges: “We have always spoken rather boldly to each other, have we not? It suits both our temperaments and has from the very first.”   Like the best Austen heroes - the best heroes in general - Lord Williams is determined to accept the heroine as she is by providing a counterbalance in personality, a challenge in conversation and a deep belief in her that underscores any of the moments in which she feels ill at ease.  Not without fault, his flaws and foibles are evident to him and that goes a long way to establishing our sympathy as he works to become a better man for the heroine   Moreover, Margaret continues to inspire shifts in his character, the exchange of ideas and gifts and even a believable promise of his own.  In one of my favourite exchanges, he admits he cannot promise not to hurt her, he can merely promise to try.

Promised is a winning portrait of a world oft-explored yet here differentiated by the authors’ unique heroine and voice. It is the portrait of a woman determined not to see what she has convinced herself is detrimental to her happiness and a world where a slight in modern capacity might prove inconsequential but was a dire social offense. And through it all runs the undercurrent of a lovely and smart slow-burn romance.

Slight physical moments are nuanced: curled fingers, a shoulder brush, the slightest touch the heroine learns to read like a book. A rose by a lake, a book of poems, and the angle of Lord Williams’ knees to give her room in the carriage build on the tension and chemistry between them even as Garriott maintains a story that will please readers who prefer their historical romances to be at the ‘kisses’ end of the heat spectrum.

Through every interaction with Lord Williams, the dashing Mr. Northam sinks further and further into the backdrop as Margaret begins to change. She lets her guard down and when unintentionally hurt the second time from someone she has grown to trust, she weathers it with a maturity we can only assume is a result of her time with Lord Williams. It is this slow self-realization of a heroine at turns vulnerable and stubborn that sets Garriott’s debut apart.

“Everything must start with a little step” believes Mrs. Hargreaves, a regular visitor at Lord Williams’ estate.  And it is these steps so brilliantly and precariously taken that offer the ultimate romantic payoff when two strong characters meet in the middle, and learn to love assured in their choice, their similar temperaments and their willingness and promise to compromise in pursuit of their ultimate happily ever after.

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This was such a fantastic book! It generally takes me a couple chapters to get into books written in first person, for some reason, but I did not have that problem at all with this book! Almost immediately I felt like the author helped me get to know Margaret, and I completely empathized with her and understood the reasoning behind the majority of her decisions. The author also did a great job explaining some of the nuanced emotions surrounding love. Gregory drove me CRAZY for the first part of the book--which I loved because he was driving Margaret crazy too! I started to question his motives until I started falling in love with him right along with Margaret.

The secondary characters were well-developed and fun, and the entire book kept me guessing! I was incapable of figuring out the ending! I can't wait for more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an eARC of this book.

(3.5 stars) - a fun though flawed Austen-flavored story

This book is an enemies-to-lovers trope which is my favorite (after all, it was Pride & Prejudice that led me into the clean romance genre), but it's also the most difficult trope for authors to pull off successfully.

It requires making one or both of the protagonists dislikeable in a way that appears justifiable but not in a way that is irredeemable to the reader. This one has a bit too much of the dislikeable vs redeemable.

First, the good: the cover is very nicely done - attractive & appealing

The story is written with obvious Jane Austen influences yet without being derivative.

The author is very good with depicting emotional scenes realistically, not stilted or stereotyped - and the only melodrama comes from characters who created it for themselves. It was easy to keep reading.

The characters are reasonably well fleshed out & developed. There is definite character growth for both by the end - which is a large part of what saved the story for me.

Now for the more difficult aspects:
Margaret is a young woman who has been cheated on by her fiance. She thinks that humiliating experience has made her worldly wise, but she is really still immature & painfully naive. It's difficult not to be frustrated with her. In addition to seeing no need to seek for answers outside of her own hastily, prejudicially formed opinions, she comes across as something of a brat - particularly for the societal expectations of that period.

The other half of the equation is Gregory who glares a lot & keeps information to himself to an unreasonable degree, ignoring opportunities to defuse situations that are ripe for misunderstanding, & then being hurt by Margaret's lack of trust & understanding when no attempt has been made to first establish either

Reason in no way justified Margaret choosing Northam.
"But marriage to him provided safety, protection, a chance to forget the past."
The dilemma is nonsense - there's no reason for her to expect that from a selfish, self-centered user like Northam. Quite the opposite. She'd have far more reason to expect it from Gregory.

Realistically, the obvious (esp to a woman who's been cheated on) "safe", emotionless match would be to find a pushover of a man who would go along with whatever she wanted & allow her to do as she liked. Yes, like a cologne-free, donkeyless Lundell.

Then there's Gregory. A true gentleman would never have made such a wager, but even if he had, there was no purpose in him continuing it if he really cared.

As I said, the developing maturation of the characters is what saves this story - along with a satisfying conclusion. The author is a gifted enough writer that I wanted to know things worked out for them & willingly stayed with the story even when there were plot points that triggered my inner critic.

It was an impressive enough freshman effort that I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her future work

*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic

4.5 stars rounded up for this debut novel.

When you've been in love and that person hurts you, it's not uucommon to promise yourself that you'll never let yourself be so vulnerable as to let someone do that to you again. Margaret has made that promise to herself and intends to keep it, no matter what.

Margaret was previously engaged to married but had the courage to call it off when she realized the man's feelings for her weren't as deep as hers for him. She then decided that if she didn't marry for love so she couldn't be hurt, because she'd know what to expect going into the marriage. While attending a matchmaking party she finds "the perfect man" in Mr. Northam, a self professed rake, but his somewhat haughty and snobbish cousin, Lord Williams has other ideas about that and ruins her chances causing Margaret to leave the matchmaking party early. Upon arriving home she finds her father has consented to a marriage contract for her with someone, but won't say whom until the man arrives the next day. Margaret is beyond surprised, astonished and words to find out it's the awful Lord Williams!!

Oh my. As Lord Williams spends time with Margaret's family helping her father survey their property for ways to improve it, playing games with she and her siblings, and basically being everywhere she turns, Margaret finds herself being attracted to him. This can't be! She promised herself she wouldn't marry for love and she won't, no matter that as someone pointed out to her, Lord Williams is exactly the type of man she would've wanted to marry before her ill-fated engagement. What's a stubborn and strong-willed woman to do?! 🤷‍♀ Stick to the plan of course. 🤦‍♀

I admit there were more than a few times I wanted to gently, ok not so gently, slap some sense into Margaret. Girl what are you thinking wanting to marry a rake like Mr. Notham just because you made a promise to yourself? I also wanted to ask Lord Williams if he truly listened to how he sounded when he 'complimented' her, because he did sound a little arrogant at times. Of course right when Margaret's about to throw the promise she made to herself out the window and tell Lord Williams how she felt, she finds out the truth behind the incident that made her leave the party early. Men can be so stupid! But this unexpected turn paves the way for Lord Williams to truly woo Margaret and I loved the way he did it. There's a lot of lovely banter between Margaret and Lord Williams because she doesn't hold her words back. She always speaks her mind when they converse.

I enjoyed this story and will definitely look for future books by this new author. Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for my copy to read. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Promised
by Leah Garriott
Rating: 4/5

With hints of Pride and Prejudice and She's All That, this story held my attention and I definitely lost sleep over needing to finish it in one reading session. Having been watching Sanditon, I didn't realize how much I'd missed reading about romance in the Regency era.

After abruptly ending her engagement to her philandering childhood friend and neighbor, Margaret Brinton is determined only to marry for convenience. She has promised herself to never love someone so much that they can hurt you, so she seeks out a matchmaking party where she meets the devilish rake, Mr. Northam. He seems perfect for her needs - she is neither attracted nor is her heart in danger when she already knows the truth regarding Mr. Northam. Her plans go awry when Mr. Northam's cousin, Lord Williams, interferes and warns her away from his cousin. After an embarrassing mishap, Margaret leaves the party early and escapes to her home where she finds out her parents' have arranged a match for her with none other than Lord Williams. The hurt and disdain she feels for Lord Williams is palpable but she finds herself still drawn to him. Can Margaret decide what she truly wants? Will she be able to honor her promise to herself?

Leah Garriott's debut novel is well written, heartfelt, and endearing. Her characters are bold, refreshing and opinionated. The plot is not necessarily unique but moves the story along with sass and hilarity. There's definitely a strong Pride and Prejudice feel between the main characters but there are also stronger male influences (her father and brother) in the main character's life which bring something sweet and new to the typical story.

Thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am curious to read more from this author! Highly recommend for those that love Pride and Prejudice type stories. PG-13 or less in content.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

Premise/plot: Margaret Brinton has lost in love before. Having decided that once was enough to last a lifetime, she vows to never fall in love again. This might make choosing a husband a tad tricky. She’s looking for a potential husband whom she could never ever love. He must be willing to marry her—for convenience. But love is off the table...or is it? Could Margaret fall in love with the pesky gentleman who keeps standing in the way of her match with a rake?! Could Lord Williams surprise her after all? Did she judge him too quickly?

My thoughts: I love, love, love Regency romances. More, more, more! I can never get enough. Especially if they are CLEAN and PROPER romances. I enjoyed Margaret’s story. If you enjoy romance—even if slightly predictable and contrived—you might enjoy this one. Here’s the thing, when it comes to romance I know exactly what I like, what I want. I don’t mind a bit of predictability and formula. I really don’t. The characters were nicely drawn. There were some very sweet scenes.

I would recommend it.

My first impressions of Promised: it reminded me of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. And I love books that have that feel. Margaret had such a quick judgment with Lord Williams and I had to admit, I searched every nuance looking for a glimmer of Mr. Darcy.

This book didn’t disappoint. As Margaret came to learn who Lord Williams really was, her heart began to open. Which made the plot twist all the more shocking and unexpected.

This book was a fantastic read, with a great voice, and I can’t wait to read more books by Ms. Garriott. She knocked her debut novel out the ball park.

*I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley. My review was not required nor influenced.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 STARS

Promised is the debut novel for author Leah Garriott and is a classic enemies to lovers set in Regency Era England. In this story, our main character Margaret starts off this novel attending a matchmaking dinner party where she is set on finding a man who will enter into a marriage of convenience with her. She believes that this is the only way that she can protect her heart from the kind of suffering she has experienced in the past.

I loved absolutely everything about this book, and could not put it down! I loved Margaret, and could completely understand her reasonings and thought process in the things she did. That's not to say that she wasn't flawed, because she definitely made some bad calls, but that is what made her truly relatable. This novel is told from her POV the entire time, and I found I really liked this first-person narrative, as it let me immerse myself in Margaret's shoes and take the journey with her. I also really appreciated her love of Jane Austen--especially her love for Pride and Prejudice, as it is also my very favorite book of all time.

The storyline was really great, and truly well written. There were plot twists that I truly didn't see coming. I really loved how Margaret tried her very best to scare off her new fiancé, and the banter between them was really great! The chemistry was spot on, and the character development was well done.

The setting was beautifully written, and vivid. This is another reason that I loved the first person narrative to this story, because instead of having all these different POV's, we were able to get a really clear picture of our setting, and the beautiful descriptions of their homes and surroundings.

The pacing was well done as well. I felt that there were never any parts that felt dragged out or rushed, but I also was so immersed that I zipped through it in no time, and wished that it wasn't over! This one will most definitely be going on my reread list!

Overall, this is a beautiful and sweet story and I highly recommend this one if you love romance, regency stories, or anything Jane Austen.

Special thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.

Enjoyable plot and fresh angle to the Regency writing we see today. There was plenty to keep the reader guessing and lots of integral characters, that keeps the story moving.

Not often a fan of 1st person story-telling, I will be upfront in saying that. I did feel that given Margaret’s tendencies and outlook I did actually feel like had we been given two points of view (and perhaps a 3rd with Northam), I do think this would have built on the chemistry that was felt as the book matured, but we could have had an interesting look at from the other side sooner. The benefit of that comes, because, it is quite obvious it’s a very one sided attraction for quite a while. Giving us just one person, leaves the story dragging a little or leaving you tired of all the complaints.

Overall, I wanted to finish it and was glad I did. The conclusion is perfect and nicely done.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC. This is my honest review.

This was a really sweet story. Some scenes had a pride and prejudice vibe to it. But overall it felt like it’s own story and not a remake. Gregory, or Lord William was a nice gentleman so there were lots of questions about why he forced the engagement. It was interesting what his reasons were. Margaret was so afraid of being hurt/disappointed again by a man that she had promised herself to only marry someone who would never be able to reach her heart. The man she chose was a known rake. However awful of a husband he would be, she chose to pursue him. Lots of hiccups along the way.

I wasn’t glued to the book but the story was very entertaining and kept my interest. It isn’t action packed or fast paced but a more Jane Austen speed book.

Rating: PG/G some discussion of rakes and mistresses but clean reading

I felt transported with Leah Garriott's 'Promised' to the feeling of a Jane Austen novel. Quickly, however, there was a switch to a Bronte feeling, with more Gothic angst. I was confused by this, as well as a contrived 'speed dating' house party. Once the novel settled into a Regency rhythm I became completely engaged and a delightful love story took over. The outcome was satisfying and one line near the end has me hoping for more about Alice. I sincerely hope this wish is fulfilled in future offerings from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This sweet regency romance was completely captivating! I absolutely loved this story. The characters had so much wit and personality that they really brought this story to life for me. The plot was unique and kept me hanging on every chapter to see how things would progress. Gregory was my favorite character. He embodied all the things that make a perfect gentleman and his sense of humor was impeccable. It took me a little longer to warm up to Margaret, however they were a perfect match! I loved seeing their romance slowly develop! Their back and forth banter was one of my most favorite things about their relationship. This was such and exceptional debut! I cannot wait for more from this author! I am a fast fan!

This might be my favorite book yet by @lintonloveslife! Once I started it I couldn’t put it down. The characters were fun, the ending perfect, but not how I expected to get there. I hope we see future stories from a few of the supporting characters!

What a great story. The heartbreak from her engagement when she found her fiancee had at least one mistress, maybe more. She Called off the engagement and tried to forget. It had been a long time but she had gone, with her brother to a house party that catered to finding a mate. She met Mr.Northam, who confessed he was a Rake and proud of it. Another gentleman named Lord Gregory Williams, a Baron was his cousin, tall, muscular, and had the most stunning eyes. She felt that Mr. Northam, she knew she could never love him. She would have her freedom and he could go on his merry way. She couldn't be hurt if no love was involved. After Edward that is exactly what she wanted.
Lord Gregory Williams was a nice, gentle man . He stood up and left in the middle of her pinaforte rendition. She
was so embarrassed by it. Both Margaret and her brother were called home. She was so glad to be gone.
Lord Williams had gone straight to her father and arranged engagement papers. He was very intelligent and ran his own estate and took care of his mother.
From page one I was caught and read until I was done. The way the problems seemed to escalate and more or less found a solution. The characters were great and so engaging. The tale moved steadily and was easy to read.
I found it entertaining and kept me so interested. I really loved it.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This was such a delightful addition to the proper romance series! I adored Margaret as a character and can relate to her desire to protect her heart! But also loved Gregory and while he had his faults as well, they helped balance each other out and brought a lot of wit to their romance. Such a wonderful story!

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the eARC!

***4.5 stars*** rounding up!

Sigh. I love and hate when a good book comes to an end.

This book starts out with a matchmaking party. Margaret is drawn to a known rake because she knows that she won't love him and he will not break her heart. To make things interesting his cousin, Gregory (Lord Williams), is continually warning her away from him. A quote from a well-known poem comes to mind. "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." (Robert Burns)

The book gets really interesting at this point. Margaret is called home early from the party to find that she is engaged! To Lord Williams. (I am chuckling as I write this.) It's pure and total goodness for a reader. The banter is well done. They have a volatile relationship, to say the least.

I really couldn't help falling in love with the story and most of the characters. This book is well written and very entertaining.

I received a complimentary copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having loved some of the other Proper Romance Historical authors, I’m always excited to see new additions to the line-up, and Leah Garriott’s Promised also sounded pretty interesting. And upon reading, I can say I think this has a ton of potential.

This book has an Austen-esque feel, from the tropes to the character types. And while this doe lend itself to some predictability, that’s something I expect and embrace in romances, and Garriott does bring a bit of her own style to the tropes such as “arranged marriage” and “enemies-to-lovers” and archetypes like the gentleman and the rake.

Margaret is an interesting heroine, and I like that she starts of the story looking for what she sees as a “safe” match after a heartbreak, only to find love in the most unexpected place. I love the twist that the heroine is the more guarded one, allowing for, from her perspective, a more earnest pursuit by Lord Williams.

Speaking of which…I’m not sure how to feel about how the execution of the plotline surrounding Lord Williams’ and Mr. Northam’s respective interest in her played out. Given that we only have her perspective, I truly felt crushed when I found out what had occurred between the two men to set events in motion on their end. While I do believe for the most part that Lord Williams is sincere, it’s one of those times where I really wish I had his perspective on things, so it felt more certain.

This is a great debut historical romance from an author I am excited to read more from. I recommend this to those who love sweet historical romances.

I couldn’t put it down! I loved it from the first page until the very last page and have already read it for a second time. I love a good enemies to lovers storyline and Promised is just that!
Margaret is afraid to put her heart out there again and thinks the safest solution is a marriage of convenience. Lord Williams comes along and interrupts these plans much to her dismay.
It was a delight to watch this story play out. Margaret does her best to try to frighten off her intended while battling the growing feelings in her heart.
Well written characters with great chemistry, beautiful setting and just the right amount of clean romance. A must read for regency romance fans.

Heartfelt romance filled with real emotions and fun characters. One of my new favorite authors. Looking forward to reading more from Leah Garriot!