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!

I enjoyed the story of Margaret and Gregory, and all they went through to gain their happily ever after. This has a fun storyline, unique and filled with likable characters. This is one of those books where I don't want to give away too much in my review. I will say, it kept me turning the pages eager to find out what would happen next and thought it was a captivating and charming story. Would recommend to any romance fan.

I read a lot of regency books - clean regency, mind you.

I was really excited to dive into this book based on the synopsis. However, my happiness turned to disappointment when I neared 20% of the book on my kindle.

I feel this was too much of a 'first attempt' at a regency and the writing showed. The characters were not well balanced or written. The book had a lot of 'modern' flair to it, the characters (mainly the brother and sister) acting out of time period by their general relationship and conversation with others.

When you discover the reason that the lead married the female, I for one did not see it coming. There was no indication or lead up (subtle ways of looking back on the story and making truth of it).

I just felt like there was a lot missing to this one and while it was a good idea it didn't feel as strong as others who write for the genre.

I love books written in first person. The perspective let’s the reader really get into the character’s head. There is a problem, however, when you don’t love the heroine and therefore are now stuck in her head for an entire novel. The writing and voice were good, but, unfortunately, didn’t love the main character

3.5-star read

Margaret Brinton doesn't want a husband, especially after the fiasco of her last engagement, but she knows that society dictates she must have a husband. As a result, she decides that she will marry but she doesn't want to marry for love and is willing to settle for a loveless marriage just so her brother can arrange his marriage and then her younger sister will be able to marry in the future without difficulties. It is for this reason that she accepts an invitation to join a weekend party at the home of friends of her mother where she will be introduced to potential suitors. Her brother Daniel thinks her plan is somewhat foolish, but he's willing to go along as she doesn't choose an inappropriate suitor. Fortunately, Margaret meets a man that she thinks will fulfill all of her requirements, Mr. Northam, a self-professed rake. Unfortunately for Margaret, both her brother and Mr. Northam's cousin, Lord Williams are out to sabotage any possible match between these two. Lord Williams feels the only way he can save Margaret from herself and his cousin is by proposing marriage himself. What ensues is a series of grave misunderstandings and comedic errors that will either result in a love match between Lord Williams and Margaret or a hatred that will never fade. Can Margaret maintain the promise she made to herself or will she need to break it and make all new promises to marry for love?



I've been experiencing some serious vision-related issues as a side effect of the many years of chronic migraine and even with glasses, have difficulty focusing on the printed page for prolonged periods. I started off reading <b>Promised</b> in print form and the only reason I set this book aside was to request a digital galley from the publisher (changing font size, backlighting, etc. is quite helpful). Once I downloaded the digital galley, I finished the book in just a few hours. I quite enjoyed the Jane Austen mash-up, a little bit <b>Pride and Prejudice</b> mixed with a little bit of <b>Sense and Sensibilty</b> in this story. Margaret's previous fiance is a little bit like Willoughby from <b>Sense and Sensibility</b>, Northam is a bit like George Wickham from <b>Pride and Prejudice</b>, and there's even a Mr. Collins like character with Mr. Lundall. Margaret's brother is a bit like Bingley with his relationship with Margaret's best friend, Louisa, and Lord Williams is a cross between Darcy, Edward Ferrars, and even Colonel Brandon. Margaret's younger sister Alice is much like Margaret Dashwood but gets seriously ill like Marianne Dashwood. Much of <b>Promised</b> focuses on the interactions and misunderstandings between Margaret and Lord Williams, but the story would be lost without all of the other characters. I enjoyed the action, settings, and the romance. I also enjoyed the flaws that each character exhibits because it made them more realistic and all-too-human. It may difficult for those of us in the 21st century to understand how marriage might be built on a relationship that develops without dating, texting, or even phone calls. Margaret and Gregory aka Lord Williams probably spend about 24 hours in each other's company, but they learn quite a bit about the other's sensibilities, values, sense of humor, and more. <b>Promised</b> 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. Of course, you may read it and find that my take on the characters is completely different from yours. If so, please let us know what your thoughts are on the characters and action. I can't wait to lend my print copy to my 85-y.o. mother to read. She enjoys these romances almost as much as I do. I hope you'll add <b>Promised</b> by Leah Garriott to your TBR list. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Happy Reading, y'all!

This is a lovely, lovely Regency romance that allows the focus of the story to be on the development of the relationship. It is a rich combination of detailed and nuanced characters, complex struggles, heartache, hope and a leavening of humor. Understanding of the heart is so elusive, especially when it has been broken. Traversing that obscure territory is masterfully explored in the book Promised. You not only learn things about the realities of the characters' hearts, you may learn something about your own.

The writing is excellent - Leah is very descriptive - and I can appreciate her flow especially for a debut novel.
My initial struggle was liking Margaret. I wanted to, but through the first half, her attitude was pretty rotten despite some redeeming qualities in her care for her family members. I can respect her desire to build up walls around her heart and protect herself from the hurt following the betrayal she felt by the actions of her former fiance.
About halfway through, Margaret's outlook adjusts and she starts questioning her desires for her future. The second half is great through to the ending and completely worth the read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This novel was adorable. The few predictable plot points were handled so uniquely I was delighted the whole way through.

The romance was swoon worthy and developed expertly. My favorite relationship however was between the siblings. Their support and teasing and understanding of each other really connected me to the story.

Delighted by this debut author and can't wait to see what she does next.

Lovely romance book. Very reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice which is my all time favourite book. Although predictable from the outset, the characters are delightful and its predictability didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.

I received a free advance review copy from netgalley in return for my honest opinion of the book.

Promised is a great romance and debut by Leah Garriott. I look forward to more stories by her in the future.
I give this one four stars.

This was such a delight! The story had almost a Pride & Prejudice feel to it, especially when it came to certain characters, but it was still unique to itself and not just another remake. The characters were likable, the story was romantic and really pulled me in...and when it ended, I had a grin on my face. I would highly recommend this book to any fans of regency romance, or romance at all!

It looks like this is the first novel published by Leah Garriott...I hope she keeps up the writing and I get to read more from her in the future!! I really enjoyed her style of writing.

This book is the perfect enemies to lovers trope, but so well done you get lost in the story and end up forgetting her qualms about him I'm the beginning and see how true colors. This story is so fun to read.

Don't you just love a good brooding Hero? They are always dark and mysterious and misunderstood.

I really enjoyed the characters and plot of this story. I couldn't fathom how Margaret could possibly want to pick someone like Mr.Northam for her future but I also can't imagine the pain of being hurt the way she was and how that might change a person's perspective on life.

Lord Williams was perfectly brooding and arrogant like any good recency Hero should be and I wondered what his reasons were going to end up being all the way until it was revealed. I was completely surprised by the revelation and felt Margaret's hurt was completely justified. Sometimes when it's a simple misunderstanding I sort of roll my eyes at the conflict but in this case Margaret had a right to be hurt.

I loved little Alice and her part in the story and was also happy that Louisa and Daniel got their story resolved as well. Daniel had me worried for a bit.

Overall a great addition to the Proper Romance series and I look forward to more from Ms. Garriott.

This is the first time for me reading from this author. but i think anyone who reads historical romances, has a certain expectations in the mind. with that being said the book is beautifully written, and the cheekiness is refreshing. But the back and forth and the lack of "romance" or intimacy makes it slightly dry. I do know there are people who prefer books with no "romance" then this book is for you- it does keep your attention. There just wasn't enough plot for me. and it got kinda dry towards the end.

This is my honest opinion of the book. and the book was given to me by net galley

Promised by Leah Garriott.
I believe this is the first book by this author this book down! A wonderful, clean, regency romance. The characters are amazing, even the supporting characters were great. I was pulled into the story immediately, there were so many interesting twist and turns. I would think it was about to end (which I was not ready for) and then it moved onto another twist, but never losing its momentum. I felt anger at stupid “alpha” behavior, sadness at those that fell ill, lighthearted at the quirky humor, and swooned at the romantic gestures. Definitely a 5 star read for me!!! I was given this ARC book for my honest review from netgalley..

From the moment I saw this book cover, I just knew I needed to read it. It’s so pretty and I like that the author and I share the same name. ;-)
I believe this is the first book by this author and I enjoyed it. I always love a Regency story where the lead girl has some spunk in her personality.
Margaret broke off an engagement after finding out that her intended wasn’t faithful and promised herself she would never fall into a predicament like that again. She decided that the best course of action would be to marry someone she could never fall in love with so she couldn’t be hurt again. She attends a party and meets the cousins, Lord Williams and Mr. Northam. This is where the story begins. After meeting both men, she realizes Mr. Northam is a rake and she could never fall for him, so she decides he is right for her. Mr. Williams strongly disagrees and goes to great lengths to stop that union.
Anyway, without giving anything more away, the story was entertaining with a few twists and turns but nothing overly dramatic. Lord Williams, or Gregory, was portrayed as serious and sometimes rude...kind of like a Mr. Darcy, however, I never felt like I truly understood him. I think we were never given insight into why he said some of the rude things he said unless he is just serious and direct but still caring and kind? Not sure.
Anyway, all in all, a fun regency story and I look forward to future books by this author.

Every now and then, you come across a book that immediately draws you in and doesn't let go until you finish the story. This is one of those books. I found myself rushing through my "gotta-do's" so I could hurry up and get back to reading.

My heart ached for Margaret, and I really couldn't blame her for basically closing off her heart... or attempting to, anyway. But, she is not a robot, no matter how much she might have wanted to be, and those pesky emotions kept getting in the way.

I honestly wasn't sure what to think of Gregory, and had a hard time trusting him for quite awhile. I definitely liked him better than some of the other men in the story though. Mr. Lundall was an amusing character, although I thought his story was going to end up differently than it did.

I'm glad I had the chance to read this story and look forward to reading more from this author.

Promised is a delightful regency romance. Margaret is determined to move forward from recent heartbreak and embarrassment by securing a convenient marriage- one that has no place for such a fickle thing as love or romance. While at a party, she thinks she may have found just the man- Mr. Northam. His cousin, Lord Williams, has other plans, and Margaret returns home only to find that her father has arranged an engagement to him. The problem is, Lord Williams has already made a terrible impression on Margaret. He’s rude, conceited, and nothing like what Margaret wants in a husband. When he becomes a constant part of her life, she begins to fear that he is nothing like she’d originally thought, and she may even come to love him. As their relationship progresses, Margaret realizes he is hiding something from her. Will she be doomed to repeat her mistakes and be left heartbroken once again?

I absolutely loved this book. Lord Williams reminded me very much of Austen’s Mr. Darcy, though with a more playful side. Margaret’s sense of humor made her endearing, and with her as the main point of view, the narration was charmingly funny. The chemistry between Margaret and Lord Williams is written wonderfully. The plot was engaging and I had to know what happened next. This reminded me very much of Edenbrooke or Sarah Eden’s regency romances. It is lighthearted but still has depth, and I enjoyed watching each character develop. Highly recommend.