Promised (2020): A Blog Tour + My Thoughts

About the Book

Book: Promised

Author: Leah Garriott

Genre: Clean Regency-era Romance

Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing

Release Date: February 18, 2020

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.

Click HERE to purchase your copy!

About the Author

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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Praise for Promised

“Promising Regency-set debut. Vivid period details and the hero’s grand romantic efforts will please fans of historical romance.”—Publishers Weekly

“Debut -author Garriott’s smooth prose and character-driven story will enthrall readers looking for sweet historicals with Austenesque plots.”—Library Journal

“Garriott’s impressive debut distinguishes itself with its expertly evoked Regency setting, a cast of realistically flawed yet eminently relatable characters, and a sweetly satisfying love story. Teen fans of Austen-era love stories will fall hard for this impeccably crafted romance.”—Booklist

“Promised is a sweet regency romance and one that I recommend to all of you romance fans, especially those of you that enjoy stories inspired by Jane Austen.”—The Book Diva’s Reads

“…a fun, entertaining, and perfect addition to the Proper Romance collection.”—The Readathon 

“With an Austen-like focus on minute emotional detail and some amusing secondary characters, Garriott’s gentle novel promises a treat for Regency fans who like their characters well-bred, their interiors comfortable, and the romance no racier than the hero turning up in a wet shirt.”—Historical Novel Society

My Thoughts

I absolutely love, and highly recommend, Promised by Leah Garriott. Oh my goodness is this book good! I was curious, I was angry, I was frustrated. I loved Margaret one minute, then wanted to smack her the next. Gregory, the hero, is simultaneously swoon-worthy, passionate, and so, so kind, and then he is totally baffling. And the chemistry between Margaret and Gregory is breathtaking. Truly, Promised is a masterful Regency-era novel that kept me turning pages well into the night and has left this reader one satisfied and smiling girl!

There is truly so much to love about Promised, but my most favorite aspect is the discussion about perspective. On her home’s property, Margaret has a beloved lake. Her whole life, the lake has been her solace space, the place she could run to in order to collect her thoughts, or scream, or cry, or take a rest. The lake brought her peace so she saw it as beautiful. But then life happens and Margaret gets beat up a little (metaphorically speaking, of course). In an unfortunate series of events, Margaret and her father have to leave home for a bit. As happens in life, Margaret slowly grows and changes. When she and her father return home Margaret naturally visits her beloved lake. But this time it’s different. Her perspective has shifted and now she can see reality.

You see, the lake was manmade and not really a lake at all. To Margaret as a little girl, as a teenager, and as a very naive young woman the lake was pristine and perfect because of what the lake represented to her — peace and security and sanctuary. From Margaret’s youthful perspective, the lake was perfect. But when she grew up, when she lost her naivety a bit, she could see the lake for what it really is: a place with the appearance of life, but really nothing more than a place of stagnation. I love how the lake was used in the story to reflect (pun intended) Margaret’s emotional and personal growth and maturity. It’s quite gothic actually, and very true to all our lives. Most of us had that thing or person growing up we saw through rose-colored glasses. When others would criticize it we’d be hurt and dumbfounded. But then we grew up and the rose-colored glasses came off! Reality struck and we saw that thing or person for what it really was. Our perspectives subtly shifted and we became adults, just as Margaret does in this novel. It’s definitely a very, very subtle message about personal growth — blink and you’ll miss it in the novel — but a message that makes this novel quite deep and poignant.

This review, I can say with absolute certainty, does NOT do Promised justice. Seriously, I could do a post on the swooniness of Gregory alone. LOL! Promised is a novel that must be experienced. If you adore Regency-era novels as much as I do, I implore you to purchase a copy today. You will not be disappointed.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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BLOG 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.

PROMISED: A PROPER ROMANCE BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

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)