Promises and Primroses

Lord Elliott Mayfield aims to correct the very messy marital mistakes and scandals of his brothers and sisters by requiring his nieces and nephews to choose worthy companions. If they choose wisely, they will receive their generous share of the family’s inheritance. Peter, Elliott’s eldest nephew, thinks the entire idea is ridiculous. A widower with two young daughters, he simply needs a governess, not a wife. Julia Hollingsworth certainly has the credentials and the experience, but is altogether too young and pretty for such a job. Julia loves working as a governess, despite the objections of her mother, Amelia. And as it turns out, Amelia has a lot to say about the Mayfield men—none of it good. Amelia, whose heart was broken thirty years ago by none other than Elliott Mayfield, is determined to prevent any relationship from blooming either between Peter and Julia—or between herself and Elliott. Hearts and history collide as both couples must face their pasts and decide if risking it all is worth the promise of new love and a new future.

Promises and Primroses is the charming first book in a new series by Josi. S. Kilpack. I enjoyed the book and how the author writes. There are believable obstacles to Happily Ever After for the two couples involved. I liked that after Elliott broke Amelia’s heart, she found a good man to love and share her life with. Peter and Julia’s relationship is proper for the times – no falling into bed before they’ve done much more than say hello (or, indeed, until they are married). When Julia accidentally reads a letter not intended for her eyes, it doesn’t lead to pages of misunderstanding – she confronts Peter with it and the misunderstandings are cleared up.

The plot involves no surprises, but the characters are real and flawed, and it was fun to watch the two couples travel from A to B. It was also nice to see middle-aged people pursuing romance and Happily Ever After. And the story features dogs!

If you enjoy clean, well written romances with thoughtful storylines, I recommend Promises and Primroses. I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley. It will be published September 4 and will be available for checkout at the Galesburg Public Library

**I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley and Shadow Mountain.**

When I read the premise of this new series, I was pretty sure I was going to love it. I am a sucker for wayward families being motivated to mend their ways by older relatives (kind of a specific plot for a series of romances - but one of my favorites series is Sabrina Jeffries “Hellions of Halstead Hall,” which is kind of the same thing. But definitely in the “saucy romance” genre).

I loved how the four main characters had different goals in mind in the beginning, but everything eventually came together. For a while, I was afraid nobody was going to tell Julia what was going on behind the scenes, but bless Lord Elliott for insisting that Amelia and Peter tell her what was going on. Also, that Julia stood firm when her mother tried to get her to take a different job. Julia was a great character in her own right - never waffling or acting stupid or contrary to her established personality. And she certainly was never cowed by her mother, which was a nice change of pace from other heroines I’ve been reading lately.

Peter figured out his issues pretty quick as well and I was pleased to see him adjust to the situation when things weren’t going as he planned. Bonus points for listening to Lydia when she refused to help him fire Julia. Lydia was awesome too.

All in all, a satisfying and exciting read. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

I was in the mood for a good Regency story and this hit the spot! This book is slightly different because instead of giving one or two points of view, it gives the point of view of 4 people (two couples).
The story was entertaining and kept me sucked in the entire time. Mr. Peter Mayfield was a very proper gentleman...not necessarily the swoon worthy type, but he grew on me with each new chapter.
I really look forward to this being a series and reading about Elliott’s other nieces and nephews and his marriage campaign.

Uncle Elliot has spent a life time trying to change his families fortunes, even giving up the opportunity to marry as a young man. Peter is his nephew, who has tried his best to rise above his parents choices and become well-respected. Amelia has moved past being left behind and forgotten by the man she thought she would marry. Now her life revolves around her children and grandchildren, but Julia isn't making it easy on her. Julia is the youngest child and is trying to be an independent young woman but her mother is making it difficult. Their lives are more intertwined than they know.
I really enjoyed this book. Josi Kilpack has long been one of my favorite authors, and I was very excited to see that she's starting a new series. Promises and Primroses would be great for any fan of proper-romance novels.

I absolutely adored this book! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of the characters from Elliott to Peter to Julia and even meddlesome Amelia. I also enjoyed the pivotal role dogs play in the story. This is a sweet, sweet romance and an excellent story of how a woman can make up her own mind and chose the path her life is going to take. I think this novel is some of Ms. Kilpack's best writing and I hope this story continues on as a series!

Thank you Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for the eARC.

WOW! Josi knocks it out of the park! If this book is anything to go on, this next series from her will be her best yet.

Starting off on a marriage campaign for his nieces & nephews, Lord Elliot Mayfield decides it's time he make some proposals to push them into the next steps in life, one that some of them have shown little promise of doing. Each tailored to their specific personalities and needs, we don’t know what he has come up with. He begins with Peter, who is his heir and the oldest, who comes with enough scandal of his own parentage - and utterly resistant to Elliot's plan. Peter who has suffered so much tragedy is upright, honorable and desperate to do right by his daughters. On the hunt for a governess to replace the one who recently left his employment to get married - he finds this to be so much more complex than he imagined. Julia has finished a five year stint in London caring for the children of a family that she feels was a great fit for her. She's home with her widowed mother, and as the youngest child so anxious to forge her own path. At 27 she's decided and accepted her status as spinster, and hopeful that one of the governess jobs she has applied for will come through. Her mother, Amelia does not want her to leave again, and it seems as new opportunities present themselves, her worst fears are realized. Julia has walked into a situation she never dreamed possible. Her shock and horror at being thrown straight back to the past of her youth, & Mayfield family are at the very centre of it.

Expressed in the view point of all 4 of these characters, it brings a clarity and depth to the plot that just wouldn't have been possible without it. I usually prefer the two main characters todo this, but it is essential to have Amelia & Elliot's, as their own history is explored.

I loved so much about this book. Yes, the governess story is as classic to regency as any other, however there was a uniqueness to this story. So many new elements with the dogs & the family history. I was pulled right in, felt all the feels, this book is a winner! I can't wait to read more from this series!

Thank you to Shadow Mountain & Netgalley for the eARC. This is my honest review.

PROMISES AND PRIMROSES - Josi S. Kilpack
Proper Romance Mayfield Family Regency - Book 1
Shadow Mountain
IBN-10: 1629724572
ISBN-13: 978-1629724577
September 2018
Historical Romance

England -- 1822

Elliot Mayfield, the fifth Viscount Howardsford, is sixty with no wife or children. When he inherited his title, he found his father had greatly diminished his family’s wealth. Elliot gave up his love, Amelia, the woman he planned to marry, went to India, and returned very wealthy. He made this sacrifice for his family, but others in the family have made dissolute choices. Elliot’s heir, his nephew Peter Mayfield, is the one exception. Recently widowed, Peter is a very moral, hardworking man who has two charming young daughters. They meet today at what Peter believes is the quarterly review of the Viscount’s holdings. Elliot has another purpose. He has a strong desire to heal his broken family and has designed a campaign to bring all of his seven nieces and nephews into respectable lives through marriages. For the appropriate marriage each will receive a generous settlement, including Peter when he remarries.

Peter wants nothing to do with his uncle’s plan for offering enticements to marry. He loved his wife Sybil and still mourns her, so he has no interest in another marriage. He is more interested in raising and training his dogs and in finding a good governess to take care of daughters Leah and Marjorie. In his governess interviews he has a very strong reaction to the youngest, a tall, attractive woman of twenty-seven who looks much younger. He rejects her.

Julia Hollingsworth had traveled to the interview and taken a room for the night, but at the end of her interview, she heard Mayfield select one of the older applicants. She is distraught but goes to her mother’s house in a village thirty miles away. Her mother doesn’t want her to work but to marry. Julia wants her independence. She felt sure she was the perfect choice for Mayfield’s little girls because besides her experience as a governess, she had endured what they were going through: the loss of a parent. When the other governess does not work out, a desperate Mayfield arrives at her home with an offer to hire her and take her to his home immediately.

Needless to say, Leah and Marjorie soon love Julia. Peter remains ambivalent until Julia also helps one of his dogs when he is absent. About this time his opinion begins to change, Julia’s mother intervenes and asks Elliot to make Peter dismiss Julia. Julia’s mother is Elliott’s long ago one and only love, Amelia, but she was deeply hurt when he left and wants her daughter saved from any Mayfield family machinations.

While Julia has the aspirations of a more modern woman, the story is very much in a 19th century view of morals and life. The story starts the series, and the beginning is a little slow with background information but will soon captivate the reader with the strong characters and the interesting story line.

Robin Lee

Lord Elliott Mayfield's family has, for the most part, lived scandalous lives, and Elliott hopes that he can rectify that situation by offering his nieces and nephews certain enticements if they marry successfully and live more circumspect lives. Elliott's oldest nephew, Peter Mayfield, is one family who has always lived a respectable life and wants no part in Elliott's plan. As a widower, he doesn't plan to marry again--but what he does need is to find a governess for his two daughters. When he interviews candidates, he immediately knows he will not hire Julia Hollingsworth. While she's well-qualified, she's too young and too attractive. However, when his other options fall through, he does hire her, and while she's a great fit for his household, he soon finds that Julia's mother, Amelia, objects to Julia working for the Mayfield family and, having had her heart broken by Elliott years ago, will do all that she can to break Julia's connection with the Mayfield family.

I wasn't sure how much I'd like a book with essentially four main characters (I like delving deep into the characters and wasn't sure there'd be enough depth with that many voices), but it worked really well. I liked seeing all of them, with their stubbornness and flaws and their goodness and their growth, too. I don't think there were really any big surprises, but there were unique and interesting elements to the plot (like Peter breeding dogs). Great choice for those who really like character-driven stories.
I'm really interested to meet more of the Mayfield family in upcoming books!

I read an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Promises and Primroses is a sweet story of a governess and master falling in love. I enjoyed the heroines desire for independence that was unusual for her time. I also enjoyed reading about her mother and an old flames interactions. The characters are fun and likable (most of the time) and authentic. Well worth the read!

This regency romance was a quick, fun read with a sweet love story–actually two love stories!

Despite being primarily a love story, there were actually a lot of other aspects that drew me in as well. Particularly the mother daughter relationship and the pondering of how past experiences effected the course of their future.

I have read almost all of Josi Kilpack’s books and I think she is great at writing characters that have glaring flaws, but that you can’t be too angry at and really want a happy ending for. Just as I would start to feel annoyed with a character they would progress in some way.

This is the first book in a new series that follows the Mayfield family. I love family sagas where you get to see story lines play out across different members of the same family so it will be fun to see what future installments the author has in store!

Content: Very tame. This is part of Shadow Mountain’s “proper romance” line which is designed to be sweet rather than steamy romances.

Peter Mayfield is dedicated to his children and helping his family but mostly keeping to himself. He tends to be closed off and withdrawn, he does little interaction with his household staff but does have a loving relationship with his two daughters. Elliot Mayfield has given up on love in order to restore his family's name to its once glory. He has now moved on to making sure his nieces and nephews are taken care of, but he has not forgotten the one woman who caught his attention.

Julia Hollingsworth has returned back to her small town roots but is intending to keep her job as a governess, no matter her mother disagrees with her decision. She is single, beautiful, but unmarried and has no plan of locating any suitors. She is easy going, loving, caring and motivating towards her young charges. Her mother Amelia Hollingworth, lives the simple life of taking care of her neighbours, children and grandchildren. She does not trust the Mayfield family because of the betrayal of Elliot's actions when they were young.

The story is written in the third person with a setting that is well described and easy to imagine. The characters show growth as the story progress and with that growth, it makes them easier to connect with. The storyline is evenly paced until the end when it goes into overdrive. The story contains two different romances. Elliot and Amelia, who once were almost engaged and Peter and Julia, who are now employer and employee. The relationships do feel real and are easy to connect with but also imagine taking place in the time period.

Yes, I would recommend this book. It is an excellent beginner Historical Romance read. The characters are well written and allow the readers to connect with them and their story. The story itself is an interesting read and a keeps your interest.

A great start to a new series! An interfering uncle, who is determined to find a way for each of his nieces and nephews to come to a marriage agreement and after agreeing to their chioce will than be given their inheritance; only Elliot`s nephew Peter refuses to be a part of Elliot`s schemes.. When the unexpected happens and a new governess is placed in Peter`s home, Peter is determined to keep himself hidden away, so his heart will heal. A story about finding yourself and not letting anything stand in your way. I loved Promises and Primroses, it`s my new favorite book by Josi Kilpack.

This is a book I finished with a sigh and satisfied smile. Isn't that the best feeling? The premise of the book and series with Lord Elliot's marriage campaign is unique and intriguing, and I'm looking forward to the books that are sure to follow. This first book focused not only on the oldest nephew, Peter, but also explored the history of Lord Elliot's past relationship with Peter's governess's mother. The four-person point of view wasn't overwhelming at all, but seamlessly woven together in a lovely balance as each character worked through their issues. I especially loved Julia and her selfless service for Peter and his children, even though she doesn't have a need for employment. The slowly blossoming romance between her and Peter was oh-so-good and despite the conflicting family dynamics, they are able to find their way to a happily-ever after. Such a wonderful Regency romance with depth and the promise of more to come!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

In the back of the book are questions to reflect on. It is always interesting to read them and find things I hadn’t thought of while reading the book or finding a different take on it.

I appreciated that there were 2 couples in this book. One older and one younger. Time changes things for older couples.

Peter is a very honorable man. He will do anything to keep out of the scandal that the rest of his family (excluding his uncle Elliott) seems to thrive in! He has worked hard. He has a new hobby of raising and breeding dogs. He is still a little new at it. His wife died several years ago and while he still loves her memory, he hasn’t moved on. He doesn’t think he should nor does he have the time. He has 2 well behaved children who do child like things like jumping in the mud or running and sometimes arguing with each other. What kid doesn’t. Peter knows to let them be children for awhile and correct them respectfully and lovingly.

Julia applies for the governess position in Peter’s home. She wants to live her own life and make her own decisions but her mother, Amelia, seems to try to interfere to have her try and find a man to marry and have children with. We learn more about Amelia and follow her story too. Julia is 28 years old and is resigned to a life without children of her own. She is happy serving others. Julia is kind, sincere and polite. She misses her father who raised dogs and showed her all there is to know about them.

When Julia goes to the interview in the beginning of the book. I was reminded of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. There were 3 applicants that day. The first one was a bigger woman, the second one was a small woman with a seriousness to her and then there was Julia who was just right for the job! Hehe! But at first, Peter did not pick her. She rattled something in him. He found her attractive and he didn’t like the feeling one bit. So she is in the hallway and witnesses Peter tell the (what do you call a person who finds people for a job) man that he will hire the second woman. Peter looks at her but doesn’t say one thing. Well that choice was absolutely horrible in more than one way! In the end, Peter has no choice but to hire Julia. And she turns out to be just perfect for his children and household. But of course, we all know this!!

All along, his two closest family members see the budding relationship in them. But Julia doesn’t see it yet. Yet she admires him. Julia is kept in the dark about a lot of things. Peter can’t handle his growing attraction to her. His parents were a scandal and he doesn’t want to be like them. But you can’t stop your heart from loving who you love. Julia’s mother wants her out of the home and Peter will turn her out as soon as he finds another governess. Then, per one of her family’s request, has a dinner party with Amelia and Uncle Elliott and his other family member who is now married who used to be the governess. Let Amelia see the household and that it is a good home and honorable. Amelia only sees red. She used to love Elliott long ago and he left her so she thinks that is the way with all the Mayfield men. Julia doesn’t know why her mother and her were invited to dinner.

Any way, I love how this story unfolds and how past things are corrected and how others communicate and how love blooms not for just one but for 2 couples. I love the meadow full of primroses in the book. I had to look them up so I could see what they really looked like. Yes I know they are on the front cover but I wanted to see what they looked like in real life!

I wonder who will be next in the family to get a book. In the beginning there is a geneology line written out. And Elliott has a campaign to find acceptable spouses for his nieces and nephews. Upon that marriage, they will receive an inheritance or gift. I loved the one bestowed upon Peter!

If you like flowers, dogs, honorable men, overcoming family scandals, riding on a horse for 50 miles, parents mistakes, second chances, finding love again, being your own person, communicating, than this might be for you!!

This book is ABSOLUTELY RIVETING!
It has everything you want from a proper romance and a few surprises too.
I highly recommend this one!

I love (adore, am crazy about, put on a pedestal) Josi Kilpack, and don't think I've read anything by her that I haven't liked. I'm so excited for this new series about the Mayfield family. There's a family tree at the beginning of the book, which means there could be quite a few books coming.

When Lord Elliott Mayfield's father died, Elliott gave up a great deal to "restore the family coffers and then grow his personal wealth." He never married and used his wealth to take care of his nieces and nephews. He wants them to avoid the marital problems and scandals that his brothers and sisters have caused others to associate with the Mayfield name, and he comes up with a "campaign" to entice them to make better choices including marrying responsibly.

His nephew Peter, is the only one who married, had a family, lives an upright life and has managed to stay away from scandal. Peter is now a widower with two young daughters in need of a new governess. Julia Hollingsworth loves being a governess and fits right in with the Mayfield household--she's patient and kind with the Peter's daughters, and also knows about raising dogs (Peter breeds dogs). Unfortunately, her mother, Amelia, was once in love with Lord Elliott Mayfield and she wants Julia out of that house now, and seems determined to get her way no matter the cost.

This isn't just Peter and Julia's story, it's also Elliott and Amelia's story. Peter and Julia's story is about Peter letting his heart mend enough to let someone else in, but Elliott and Amelia's story is about Amelia letting go of the hurt that Elliott inadvertently caused her by his abrupt departure when his father died.

Josi Kilpack's characters are so well written that I come to love them, hate them, and want to throttle them. I loved Peter and Julia--he misses his wife so much he pours most of his energy into breeding and training his dogs. Julia is perfect for his family but it takes time for him to see that and see that she loves his daughters as if they were her own.

Elliott wants to stop his nieces and nephews from making the same mistakes their parents had made. He wants the future generations to be better and had sacrificed having a family of his own building up the family fortune so he could use that to take care of them.

I wanted to wring Amelia's (Julia's mother) neck several times. Yes, Elliott had hurt her, but it wasn't intentional, and she went on to marry and have a family with a wonderful man. But she hadn't forgiven Elliott--she was still holding onto the hurt over 30 years later. Amelia didn't understand Julia and didn't treat her as an adult (she was 27 years old) who could make her own decisions. My heart didn't soften towards Amelia until almost the end of the book when she visits Peter Mayfield's house and finally talks with instead of to Julia.

Parenting adult children can be a fine line to walk. Having lived through it, I know it's difficult to show love for them when they make choices you don't agree with. As Amelia tells Julia "I felt that if I came, I would be showing support for a choice I did not agree with, and so I did not come." Sometimes what we want for them blinds us to how great they are without our help. "I am sorry that I have been so set on what I wanted you to be that I have not realized what an exceptional woman you truly are."

I loved the ending of this book. How can you not, when you get not one, but two, happy endings. I look forward to reading more about the Mayfield family. Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for allowing me to read and review this book.