REVIEW of Promised by Leah Garriott (BLOG TOUR)

Rose Spears (Rosanne E. Lortz), ,

promisedMargaret Brinton made the mistake of losing herself head over heels to a rake and suffering both a broken engagement and a broken heart. Now all she wants is to enter into a marriage of convenience with her eyes wide open, determined to have no romantic feelings for her future husband so that no matter what he does, he cannot hurt her. When she encounters Mr. Northam at a matchmaking house party, the flirtatious roué seems perfect for her plan. Her own substantial settlement ensures that Northam desires the marriage of convenience as much as she does, and the only obstacle in the way is the frustratingly stubborn Lord Williams.

Cousin to Mr. Northam, Lord Williams is obstinately and officiously determined to prevent Margaret from throwing herself away on a rake. Approaching her father behind her back, Lord Williams manages to contract his own betrothal to Margaret. Furious, Margaret uses every rudeness and jibe at her disposal to deter Lord Williams, but despite her best efforts, the odious man begins to grow on her. But a man who appeals to her emotions is the very opposite of what she wants! Can Margaret find a way to drive off this intractable baron before it is too late?

This enemies-to-lovers Regency romance had overtones of Pride and Prejudice. Haughty Lord Williams (AKA Gregory) seems impervious to Margaret’s barbs while she insists that his interference is entirely unwanted. The insult that he deals Margaret (walking out during her piano performance at the house party) is certainly reminiscent of Mr. Darcy’s behavior at the opening ball in P&P. Some readers may enjoy only having one point of view in the novel, but I must confess, I liked Lord Williams better than I liked Margaret, and I wished that the point of view had been his!

A subplot with Margaret’s pesky older brother Daniel and his own intended added depth to the story, however, the main premise of the book (Margaret’s peculiar desire for a marriage of convenience even after discovering her own attraction to Lord Williams), was a little far-fetched and felt rather like a step Charlotte Lucas might take. At times, I would have liked the heroine to be a little bit more like Elizabeth Bennet in the department of good sense. Fans of clean Regency-era romance will enjoy this debut novel, and Lord Williams is sure to garner interest from many quarters.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for participating in the blog tour. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Promised Blog Tour Graphic

BLOG TOUR INFORMATION

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.

Please follow along with the rest of the blog tour to discover additional reviews, exclusive excerpts, guest blogs, and interviews.

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