Rose Hamilton had lived with her embittered Aunt Win since her parents had died in India, and now, at age nineteen, Aunt Win was desperate to marry Rose off. It was the late 1800s, and every party, ball and soiree meant Rose had to suffer the indignation of being paraded in front of salivating single men, whatever age. Rose and Win had constant arguments but Rose had vowed to only marry for love. She spent much time in the kitchen of the family home, with the only people she loved, and who loved her. Jackson, the butler, Mary, the cook, and Katy, the maid.

At one such event, she did meet a man, older than her but one she thought she could love. But still, she would not marry until she turned twenty-one, and Win was beginning to despair that Rose was too strong for her. What would happen as the secrets which had been hidden for years suddenly came to the fore?

I quite enjoyed The Orphan's Promise by Lindsey Hutchinson. A gentle historical novel, as the bitter Win and her ward battled out something Rose was confused about. Rose, Jackson, Mary and Katy were all excellent characters, well written, compassionate and caring. While poor Win went about things all wrong. A recommended read.

With thanks to NetGalley & Boldwood Books for my digital ARC to read and review.

Wow the ending was shocking!!! Rose Hamilton's parents have died and she is sent to live with her Aunt Win Jacobs. Her Aunt Win is in a rush to get her married because is she were married Win would benefit. Every party invitation is accepted in order for Win to find a spouse for Rose before her 21st birthday. Meanwhile Rose has fallen in love with the handsome but much older Charles Dean, who was the former beau of her Aunt. He rejected marrying her many years ago and she has carried her unrequited love for him for decades.
Ms. Hutchinson delivers a made for television with amazing dialogue and a fast-paced storyline. The characters are fleshed out and it shows the author did her research of the period norms. Fans of the Victorian time period will thoroughly enjoy this novel. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Orphaned at a young age, Rose Hamilton can barely remember a mother's warmth, or a father's protection. Instead, she has endured the cold, loveless rule of embittered Aunt Win, woman who seems to take pleasure in making Rose's life as difficult as possible. The only comfort Rose has ever known comes from the loyal household staff - Jackson, the butler, Mary, the cook, and Katy, the housemaid - who have become the family she never had. But as her twenty-first birthday draws near, Aunt Win is determined to see Rose married off - to any man that will have her. Rose, spirited and independent, refuses to be bartered away like a chattel and makes a promise a promise to herself - she will only ever marry for love.

Lindsey Hutchinson is one my go to authors, I never read the premise, I just dive straight into the book.

Set in late Victorian England, this is a character driven story. I liked Rose and the staff who worked for her Aunt Win, but Win isn't a nice character, and holds a secret that could change everything for Rose. It's also an informative read - I didn't know that back then single women who wore bold colours were frowned upon, and wearing red meant you were no longer pure. Another entertaining read from the fabulous Lindsey Hutchinson.

Published 10th Augusr 2025

I would like to thank '#NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #LindseyHutchinson for my ARC of #TheOrphansPromise in exchange for an honest review.

Lindsey Hutchinson does a amazing job in writing this book, it uses the overall feel of this historical element. I was engaged from start to finish and enjoyed the way this was glad it was everything that I expected from Lindsey Hutchinson. I enjoyed the overall feel of this and how well everything worked together to tell the storyline.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Rose is an orphan and is living with Win, her aunt, Win is
manipulative and likes to ensure Rose does as she wants, such as wearing clothes that she likes, and not Rose, as well as to get Rose married before she turns 21.

Rose likes Charles, she doesn’t like any if the men that her aunt keeps introducing her to at the events they attend. But, Win doesn’t like the fact that Rose and Charles are always together at the events.

Rose decides to find out exactly why her aunt is so keen and eager for her to get married, and so does her own investigation and comes across papers that tell her exactly the reason why.

Rose, she held her ground for what she wanted in what she wore and how she wanted to live her life.

I liked how Jackson, Mary and Katie looked out for her and she thought of them as family.

I recommend this book.

So. Many. Words. So. Many. Balls. So. Much Shopping., I'm usually a fan of this genre, but this book just was so repetitive.

Slow to begin, and I didn't really understand the premise except there were 'secrets'. The first third of the book was the most repetitive and I almost gave up....except...the secrets kept me going. Once some of the secrets were out, the book became more interesting, moving the story quickly along. The final secret was worth the read.

a tale of courage and being brave when the odds are against you, when those who should care feel against you and when not knowing who to trust weighs hard.
we have the story of our orphan Rose who is now under the care of her Aunt Win. sadly her controlling Aunt isn't who anyone should be given over to be cared for by and now is the age when she is determined to get Rose married off. this isn't what Rose wants.
Rose often finds comfort in those working for the house which was a lovely part to read about. and i wonder how often this was the case for those of the time? we so often see the two shall never mix.
when Rose meets someone she feels she can truly give her heart to her Aunt is immediately again it. and there is way more to her decisions than Rose thought possible. but Rose is determined she will only marry for love. can she hold out? will it even be possible?
secrets and lies are waiting below the surface.
and you are hooked to know if the characters end up ok and just where this story will take us.
a deeply emotional and effective read. full of pain, loss, secrets and love.

I enjoyed reading this book and finding out what happened to the characters but I had worked out the storyline (mostly) from the blurb - so in some ways it was a bit of a disappointment to be proved correct,

I love Lindsey Hutchinsons books usually and looked forward to this one - but I think I read it with a slightly tinged mindset.
It was well written and well researched though for me the end was rushed - we had had all the information about the balls and soirées, the buying of gowns and frocks and of course the love story between Charles and Rose. But the final denouement and all that went with this fitted into the last chapter or so - and felt it didn’t fit with the rest of the story.

Was I the only one to feel slightly disturbed by the age difference between Charles and Rose? After all he had been the beau of her Aunt Win but then again that seemed the norm for the times as Win had tried to marry Rose off to several gentlemen much older than she was. How times and views change?
The camaraderie between Rose and the ‘downstairs’ staff seemed a little odd and I felt that Win would’ve tried (and probably not succeeded) to have stopped Rose being so friendly with them - although they had been in her life for so long. I know she felt they were ‘family’

So in some ways a satisfying read but not in others. Not Lindsey Hutchinson’s best unfortunately

This was such an easy read. The author does such a great job of making the reader draw to the characters smoothly. The reader gets hooked and has a hard time putting down the story if Rose and her adventures.

vaguely victorian work that generally works pretty well, if at times feeling a hair flat in the character develop,ment field. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

"A legacy of lies, a promise of love"
...

'The Orphan’s Promise' is a richly atmospheric, delightfully detailed and deliciously slow-burning historical saga, set in late Victorian England, which cleverly manages to blend a tender and moving romance, with an absorbing and suspenseful mystery, which is character and plot driven in equal measure. So many of my recent reads have been set on location in the north of the UK and this coming-of-age saga continues that trend, being set among the society conscious, middle-class echelons of Birmingham.

It follows spirited, yet vulnerable, Rose Hamilton, who, at a young age, was orphaned and subsequently raised under the oppressive control of her unmarried Aunt Win, from whom she now fights to claim her own destiny, as she embraces her coming of age celebrations. However, Win appears overly anxious to see Rose married off before that auspicious day and is quite ruthless in placing before her, just about any man who has a pulse and the required status and wealth, regardless of his age or disposition.

Rose has always found solace, kindness and true friendship in the household staff; Jackson the butler, Mary the cook, and Katy the maid, who represent the loving and caring family she never had. So it is to them that she now turns as Aunt Win becomes more vociferous in her mission to find her a husband and it is they, with their proverbial 'noses to the ground and eyes and ears to the walls', who are able to help her piece together the reasons for her benefactor's strange and erratic behaviour.

With her newly acquired knowledge about her Aunt's true motives, Rose becomes more determined than ever that she will only ever marry a man of her own choosing, at a time which is right for her and, most importantly, only for true love. So, when by sheer chance, that man comes along and is willing to wait until she comes of age before he proposes to her, Rose is overjoyed. Despite knowing of Win's ulterior motives in needing to marry her off quickly, neither Rose nor her 'downstairs' family can fathom the apoplectic jealous rage and vitriolic hatred which spews forth from Win when Charles declares his intentions towards her niece.

When the final twist is thrown into the mix and the last missing piece of the jigsaw eventually falls into place, emotions run high, with devastating consequences.
...

Watching Rose mature into a strong and independent young woman, is a delight. It is clear that her attitudes towards her below stairs staff do not reflect the general societal norms of the time, which bodes well for the future when she will need to manage her own household in a way which facilitates a happy, respectful and mutually cooperative environment.

I found Win to be a sour, bitter woman, who despite having some good cause for her greed and envy, has decided that Rose owes her for her years of perceived sacrifice. Her disposition has made her quite unlikeable, making her appear older than her probable years and potentially sealing her fate to remain a spinster for the rest of her life.

Lindsey depicts her characters sympathetically and in great detail, until she gets the synergy between them just right. This, together with a well-researched storyline, which is broken down into chapters of just the right length, ensures that the resulting read is a sheer joy and exactly the way I like my historical fiction, not too 'cheesy' and with some substance.

I know that I have some of author Lindsey Hutchinson's earlier novels on my shelves somewhere, so this being the first of her books I have actually read, I can't wait to visit some of her previous titles.

A great novel with great characters. Some were good characters and of course some had bad traits. But overall it made for a great read

I enjoyed my time with Rose, Charles , Mary, Katy and Jackson. Aunt Win was a horrible character and very selfish. There were a lot of secrets to uncover, but above all this was about friendship and love. Although there is an element of almost fairy story to this, in that the servants and Rose had such a close relationship and that Rose was a significant heiress and her businesses kept going all this time, it still made for entertaining reading. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for introducing me to this author.

A really lovely novel, it's easy to withdraw into roses world and canter along gladly as she lives day to day. Well written with a few twists that keep you reading. I enjoyed this a lot.

Rose is nineteen years old and I love when her firecracker side comes to life. Rose was orphaned and left in the care of her aunt Win who needs to see Rose married before she turns twenty one. Rose has no interest in getting married especially not to the suitors her aunt chooses. Rose has no interest in any man until she meets the dashing Charles Dean who her aunt seems to strongly dislike. I enjoyed the attention to detail and learning that women wearing bright colours was frowned upon even more so if it was red as you would be considered to be a floozy. I love how rich and easy the story flowed making it fast paced although the twists come faster at the end. The mystery was revealed slowly building the anticipation. When it is revealed I was beyond shocked 😲.

This is the story of Rose and her life with her aunt Win after her parents died while travelling. Rose is more welcome in the kitchen with her friends there and who feel more like family than her aunt. Win starts to try and find a husband for Rose and wants her to marry before she is 21. Along comes Charles Dean who is an old beau of Win’s and secrets are hidden with the two of them, Charles falls for Rose but Win is so jealous.
A lovely story with some lovely characters.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to Publisher Boldwood books for the early read for an honest review.

Thankyou for approving me for this proof.
As with all Lindsey Hutchinson books I couldn't stop until it was finished.
I would recommend this book to any Historical Fiction readers and will definitely reccomend to others

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the free advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you love Downton Abbey, you might really enjoy this book. It actually is a cross between parts Downton Abbey and parts Bridgerton. It started a little slow because I was confused about this book and the title. I have said before in my reviews that I am a sucker for any book that has the word "orphan" in the title. This book had me confused because yes, Rose was technically an orphan - her Aunt Win was her guardian, but as the book begins, she is 20 years old. The attraction of an "orphan" book to me is when a young child loses their parents and the journey to find a new family. Once I let the title go and re-adjusted my expectations, and about 1/3 of the way in as the plot started to reveal itself, I enjoyed the storyline more than I thought I would, to be honest.

Without spoiling anything, there is a secret and conflict in the relationship between Rose and her controlling and negative Aunt who is trying to marry her off when she doesn't want to wed. The parade of suitors and visits to dressmakers was a bit like Bridgerton but the majority of the book played out like a few episodes of Downton Abbey where Rose's friends are the servants of the house and there is the gossip that happens downstairs about things that happen upstairs. There is eavesdropping, plenty of parties, formal dinners, and all of the basic simplicity of an earlier time.

The Orphan's Promise is the fourth Lindsey Hutchinson novel that I have reviewed. I like Rose, but not her aunt Win. I felt sad that Rose was orphaned, and also that she didn't have a nicer person than Win to live with. I felt she deserved more.

Win is bossy and manipulative. She was determined to have Rose married off, but she's interested in Charles Dean and not who Win wants for her. I like this about Rose, that she fought for what she wanted in spite of what Win thought. I also liked the red ballgown and other clothes Rose chose. I loved all the mentions of makeup.

I liked Charles a lot, and he had a good sense of humor. There's a great contrast between Charles' Rose's and Win's personalities, and that makes for believable characters that are well fleshed out.

I like the way that Jackson the butler, Katie the maid and Mary. the cook were like family to Rose. I like their heart to hearts and how they trust each other. They all have special relationships, but Katie and Mary definitely have special friendships with Rose.

The novel has really good pacing. It's quick, but I never felt lost. It has an interesting plot. The attention to detail is excellent.

I finished it in a day.

Thanks to Lindsey Hutchinson and Boldwood Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

As with all Lindsey Hutchinson books I couldn't put it down
I would recommend this book to any Historical Fiction fans and will definitely but it to read again