Oh my goodness, I loved this book so much!! It was an adventure that I didn’t want to end. The tension between Gregory and Margaret was palpable! It gave me the chills! I can’t wait to reread it and go for the ride again. Such a great romance ❤️ #netgalley #promised

After calling off her engagement when she realized the true character of the man she was to marry, Margaret Brinton has decided the best path for her is to marry someone she will never love--that way she'll have safety and security and not have to risk her heart again. When she attends a matchmaking house party, she meets Mr. Northam, a rake who will suit her purposes perfectly. However, his cousin, arrogant Lord Williams, intentionally undermines her chances, and when Margaret returns home, she finds that her father has agreed to her engagement to Lord Williams! Margaret is adamant about not marrying him, and yet, as Lord Williams visits her family's home, she finds that maybe she misjudged him and might be the type of man she could love--which makes him precisely the wrong sort of man for her.

Fun story! Margaret cracked me up--she was totally blunt with Lord Williams and said things that would have had society matrons fainting right and left if they had heard. I loved it, how she didn't pretend with Lord Williams but said what she really thought. The plot was unique and kept me reading, wanting to figure out what Lord Williams' true intentions were and why he had rushed off to arrange an engagement to Margaret. Good addition to the Proper Romance line!

4 stars.

I read an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Regency romance with a nod to Austen.

Although there were times it felt this book strayed a little from the time period (to my knowledge, matchmaking parties were not so obvious/named as such!), it is still an enjoyable and entertaining read.

I loved the hints at Austen's Pride and Prejudice throughout; the lake scenes, the haughtiness of the male protagonist, etc.

Margaret is stubborn, much like Lizzy Bennett. However unlike Lizzy, Margaret is determined NOT to marry for love. I feel like this point could have been made far more succinctly by showing exactly what happened with the broken engagement in the present, rather than through flashbacks.

An entertaining if not completely factually accurate novel, with enough nods to Austen to send you straight to your well worn copy of Pride and Prejudice after.

This is a fun spin on a romance. The characters are likable, the story is different enough to be interesting but still with the familiarity desired in a good clean romance. I'll definitely be looking for more stories by Leah Garriott!

What a delightful novel! I thoroughly enjoyed Leah Garriott's story of a young woman who wants to secure a husband who will let her live a peaceful life as she will let him live as he likes. She doesn't want to risk her heart after having it stomped on by a fiancé. No, an arrangement that doesn't involve romantic love but instead offers security seems the pathway to a content life. She has that in mind when she and her brother attend a house party that is really a matchmaking party. She meets Lord Williams and Mr. Northam - cousins who vie for her attentions which tests her resolve about what she wants in a marriage. Promised is filled with humor, drama, sparkling characters and settings that drew me in. I enjoyed it all and can't wait to see what Leah Garriott writes next. I think Promised will appeal to fans of Jane Austen and romantic regency novels.

I absolutely LOVE this book! It is incredibly charming, romantic, witty, and lovely! Every time I picked up "Promised", I felt like I was whisked back in time to the Regency Era.

Throughout the book, I felt extremely connected to the characters, and could feel what they were feeling and going through. Ms. Garriott writes in a way that all of the characters' interactions felt extremely real and authentic, vivid, and beautifully true to the era as well as to their individual personalities. I found myself laughing at times, almost in tears at some moments, squealing with delight at others, and could not wait to see how everything turned out chapter after chapter. I also found myself really cheering for the characters to find their happiness. It is an absolutely heartwarming book. And the title “Promised” comes to have quite a few different meanings throughout the novel as well.

If you love Regency romance, romance novels, and / or historical fiction, I HIGHLY recommend this book! I did not want to put it down, nor did I want it to end! The only reason I found myself putting this book down was because I had to be up early the next morning! And I really want to dance the Waltz!! :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC of this novel! I absolutely loved it!

This book definitely caught my interest and held it. As Regency romances go, it was one of the best I’ve read in some time. I adored the characters, the plot kept me wondering as it kept going in unforeseen directions, and the ending left me sighing in contentment.

Margaret , the protagonist, had such a strong voice and it was easy to love her and understand her perspective. From the very beginning there is an intricate plot that unfolds and not until the climax do you (and Margaret) understand how everything connects. There was such a great flow to her story, and she really grew as a character as she learned to open her heart up and let go of what she thinks is best. I liked her relationship with her brother and sister- teasing and fun and so very real.

Enter Gregory, and goodness things sure do get interesting. I loved his character and how good he was, faults and all. The chemistry between him and Margaret created wonderful tension throughout the book, while still staying true to being a clean romance read.

Definitely a great book, I hope to read more from this author in the future.

One of my verrrrry favorite things as a reader is discovering a new author with a pitch-perfect writing voice...and I found that in this novel. I loooooved the writing! The first-person perspective is fresh and witty, the banter and romance is swoony and the characters are so likable. I look forward to reading more from Leah Garriott!

*Book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own

Promised by Leah Garriott is the best romance novel I have read in a long time. Margaret Brinton is a woman who has been hurt by love and thinks she has figured out a plan to avoid further hurt in the future. However, Gregory Williams has differnt plans for her. Garriott creates a depth of character with Margaret that allows you to feel Margarets pain and hope in equal measure. Wonderful debut novel! Garriott will most be added to my must read list in the future.

After having a previous romance end in heartbreak Margaret has decided to remove her heart from the equation and have a marriage of convenience only. She thinks she finds the perfect suitor only to have his (handsome of course!) cousin keep getting in the way! Margaret has to decide between protecting her heart of allowing Lord Williams in. This is a fun and sweet regency romance!

"Promised" is the lovely debut novel by Leah Garriott. Once bitten, twice shy Margaret Brinton decides to secure her future by attending a matchmaking house party. Her plans for a marriage of convenience with Fredrick Northam are quickly thwarted by his cousin, Lord Gregory Williams.

Lord Williams's original intention for his proposal was not clear to me and when it's finally revealed, it was an unwelcome surprise. However, the last part of the book is SO romantic and heartfelt that this 4-star read becomes a 5 for me.

The characters are delightful. There is humor as well, from Margaret falling off a wall, to Mr. Lundell's acknowledgement of his "odor".

Garriott's prose flows nicely with few grammatical errors. In addition, this novel is clean. The recurring lake theme is moving. I am always on the lookout for quality Regency Romance authors, and Garriott is a wonderful new one. I look forward to more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC of this enjoyable novel.

#Promised #NetGalley

Pride and Prejudice with a twist. I cannot tell you what an honor it was to read this phenomenal book! It was so good! This is definitely one of my favorites this year. While I do like Austen, this book has easier ebb and flow. I think this a book is one you can read again and again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC in exchange for a fair review. The ideas and thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this story with all its little twists along the way. I couldn't predict how the happily ever after would come about. I got a good way into the story and wondered to myself where the author was going to take the story line. I knew something had to happen but I had no idea what. I'm always intrigued when I can't predict the story.

I don't usually care for books written in first person but this totally worked for me. I was dying to know what was going on in Gregory's head but as a reader I didn't know anymore than Margaret did and most of her thoughts were her own interpretation and not reality so we got to be just as confused as she was.

I liked the main characters though I thought Margaret's promise to herself to be ridiculous. That would be because I can't fathom the idea of a marriage of convenience so to aspire to one is beyond me. I enjoyed the banter between characters through out the book. I was surprised that this is a debut novel. I thought it well written and a fun premise.

My one disappointment which has nothing to do with the story is that I would have loved the cover to have the lake on it. The cover is lovely but the lake was so important to Margaret I just think it would have been great on the cover.

Sex: talk of mistresses (no details), kisses,
Language: no
Violence: one incident
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book and voluntarily choose to review it.

I could not put this book down! I could understand Margaret's need to guard her heart and yet wanted her to open up again at the same time. This book has all the tug and pull you want from a Regency romance and Lord William's is everything you want in the male lead. The first time Margaret calls him by his given name will give you chills. This books made me smile, laugh, and feel for the despairing situations Margaret must go through to secure the love she never thought she'd want a chance at again. This is the kind of book you want a digital and physical copy of. Thank you for such a beautiful novel Leah Garriott

I was interested in the description of the book and thought the cover was lovely. Garriott's debut novel was really fun. I loved how it starts at a match-matching party.

Margaret has given up on love and is set to a loveless, marriage of convenience, knowing she won't be hurt again. She has her sights set on the rake Mr. Northam. He checks every item off of her list but his cousin, Lord Williams won't let her. Williams thinks he knows what's best for Margaret and one thing you only need to learn once is never tell a strong woman she can't do something, because she will see to it if its her last breath.

The enemies to lovers romance was sweet and perfect. Everything wrapped up nicely and the story came around full circle. I loved the fun moments between Williams and Margaret. It reminded me of "The Princess Diaries 2" where Anne Hathway's character says "I loathe you" to Chris Pine. I could see Margaret doing that in a heartbeat.

I received an ebook from the publisher thanks to Net Galley to give this honest review. This book will perfectly fit into the proper romance line.

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.

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.