Reviews

Promises and Primroses by Josi S. Kilpack

saorsa32's review

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

chelseasonshine's review against another edition

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4.0

A clean sweet romance

katiemayveil's review against another edition

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4.0

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.

valeriew's review against another edition

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3.0

It was cute enough. I listened to this one and the reader had an English accent so that was cute. Not sure it was believable. Pretty sure people didn’t marry anyone below their station.

abeth_parker's review against another edition

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3.0

I happened upon this novel at my library. The premise sounded interesting: a widower with two young girls seeking a governess. I like historical fiction, and unlikely love stories, so it seemed a good fit.
Christian fiction can be "cheesy" sometimes. But this story had a good plot, believable characters, and some moments of humor. The characters were not without fault, but had a core of faith that was so well written into the characters that it didn't need to be said outright. I'm looking forward to more books in the series.

aswirlgirl's review

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inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

leslie_books_and_socks_rock's review against another edition

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4.0

I received an ARC as a prize. I'm sure it isn't any different from the actual published book. I loved it. It took a while to get into it and to get all the different characters and their POV with the pedigree chart at the beginning. I loved the dogs, I haven't read any Regency period book that has included it. It was predictable but I loved it and now have a new love for primroses. I definitely want to read the rest of the books in the series to see how the campaigns turn out.

coppercrane2's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

jenbsbooks's review against another edition

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3.0

This was just okay for me, I don't think it will be very memorable in the long run ... even the short run (so I'm writing my review immediately before I forget). I went with the audio edition (included in Audible Plus) and while the narrator is good and I've enjoyed her before, there were just some certain words that I got tired of the accent with.

I think the main thing was, I felt like I was coming into a series part way - that there had been previous books with stories coming before that were being referenced here. I felt like I should have already known some characters and backgrounds. But no ... it's the first book.

I did like the romance, slow burn, actually believable as far as the relationship developing. I didn't care for the mother at all, or all her interference. The dogs storyline was an interesting addition. Otherwise it wasn't different than all the other regency romance books out there.

nipomuki's review against another edition

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4.0

Very solid historical romance. It is on the inspirational side of the spectrum, but it did not make me uncomfortable. I liked how down to earth it all was. There are two romances: a second chance one for an older couple, and a governess/employer relationship with very aware participants. The relationship between the heroine and her mother sometimes made for uncomfortable reading, but I found it realistic and liked how it progressed. Amelia certainly is hard to like at times, but it helped to see her through Elliott‘s eyes. And she did redeem herself in the end.
There is a lot about dog husbandry in this book, with some sad parts. I liked it, and how the main couple bonded over a difficult birthing.
The women in this story were all strong, opinionated and capable. And while there is a „big misunderstanding“ from the past, and later a moment where there could have been a new one, there were very good conclusions to both. I really liked the scene where Peter opens up and reveals all, putting himself in a very vulnerable position and giving Julia the power of choice.
Justine Eyre is an exceptional narrator, and I enjoyed her performance, even though it always takes a while for me to get used to the breathyness (sp?) of her voice.