Promised by Leah Garriott

Synopsis:

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.

My Review: 5 Stars

Margaret has been hurt by love in the past and has sworn that a marriage of convenience is the only way to protect her heart from being hurt again.

While attending a matchmaking party, she meets Mr. Northam and decides he’s the perfect gentleman for her marriage plan. But she soon discovers that Lord Gregory Williams is against the match. He sets his own plan in motion to protect Margaret.

However, Margaret is done being “protected”. She wants what she wants, and no one will stop her from getting it. But the more time she spends with Gregory, the more she starts second guessing what she truly wants in a marriage.

Can things be different with Gregory? Will she be happy in a loveless and lonely marriage? Or should she follow her heart and marry for love?

*dreamy sigh*

You know that saying, never judge a book by its cover? Confession. I totally judge them! The cover is what draws me to a book in the first place. If you have a beautiful cover, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be clicking on your book to see if it’s something I would enjoy. Well that’s exactly what happened with Promised. Isn’t this cover gorgeous?! After reading the synopsis, I was hooked. I just HAD to read this book!

And I’m happy to say that it did not disappoint! Even though Margaret was beyond stubborn at times, it did not stop me from falling in love with her and Gregory. From their first meeting, the chemistry was off the charts. I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was Ms. Garriott’s first book. For me, it did not read like a first book. I was captured from the first chapter and had a really hard time putting the book down. I was not happy when I had to put the book down and adult. I’m definitely looking forward to more books by her.

And of course, I can’t forget my casting. I absolutely LOVE these two! What do you think?

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*