A Gentleman's Promise (Gentlemen #1) by Penny Hampson
Genre: Historical fiction, Regency Romance
Read: 26th March 2021
Published: 25th February 2021 (revised edition)
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
A docile wife is what he wants. A husband is the last thing she needs. Can a quest for a killer teach them that they are both wrong?
Emma Smythe and her brother arrive at Easterby Hall to discover that a handsome stranger has laid claim to their ancestral home and the family title. Have her relatives been murdered, and is her brother next? Determined to find the answers, she has no option but to trust the gentleman who insists that he will help. But danger appears in many guises, and for a woman intent on remaining single, her intriguing protector may prove the biggest threat of all.
The attempts on Richard Lacey’s life begin when he inherits a title and a rundown estate. A coincidence? He’s not so sure. Problems multiply with the unexpected arrival of Jamie and Emma Smythe. Long thought dead, they too are potential targets. Richard thinks he wants a docile, obedient wife, but will the task of keeping headstrong Emma safe from danger change his mind?
Embroiled in a sinister mystery, can Richard and Emma work together to catch a killer? And will this dangerous quest teach them that what they both wish to avoid is exactly what they need?
Filled with intrigue, unexpected twists, and faultless period detail, this slow-burn romance is a must-read for lovers of classic Regency fiction.
MY REVIEW:
I'm thrilled to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Penny Hampson's regency romance mystery A GENTLEMAN'S PROMISE.
A delightful period romance filled with mystery and intrigue, A GENTLEMAN'S PROMISE is refreshing in the sense that it is a romantic tale without all the usual, and often vulgar/steamy, love scenes. It was clean, it was romantic, it was delightful, it was intriguing. It doesn't need sex to be a romance as sex certainly does not equate as such. It was also fast paced with likeable characters as the hero comes up against attempts on his life as the course of true love contends with mysterious deaths and much much more.
When the aging Viscount Easterby died leaving no issue, the entailed estate of Easterby Hall was left languishing until an heir could be found. Both of the late Viscount's sons were dead with the eldest Frederick having fallen from his horse some years before and the youngest, Charles, believed to have perished with his family somewhere abroad. When the latter and his family were declared dead before the usual seven years, the hunt for a heir began.
Enter Richard Lacey. The eldest of three children, Richard never expected to inherit a title or an estate as large as Easterby Hall. Nor was he aware that he was even related to the late Viscount, albeit distantly. His father's parents were Smythes but died when he was very young and he and his siblings were "adopted" by an aunt, taking on their name of Lacey. So now Richard finds himself lord of the manor at Easterby Hall, a position he finds somewhat daunting as well as unexpected. He has barely settled in to his first night as Viscount when there was a commotion downstairs and all hell appeared to have broken loose.
Charles Smythe thought nothing of his family's welfare as he dragged them abroad in search of adventure and antiquities. But now he and his beloved wife were dead, leaving their children Emma and Jamie stranded far from home. A resourceful young woman, Emma Smythe was determined to keep her younger brother safe and return to England and into the arms of their beloved grandparents. Disguising herself as a boy, she and Jamie navigated their way war-torn Europe before crossing the rough seas of the channel and landing in Cornwall, where they traversed on foot for many days and nights until they reached Easterby Hall. But the effort had been too great and Emma collapsed at the door, succumbing to the elements in which they had been exposed.
Upon waking the following morning in a great bed she had no recollection of climbing into, Emma recalled their long and arduous journey to reach Easterby. She'd been looking forward to seeing their grandparents again and wondered if they would recognise them both after so many years away. But to her dismay and heartache, she was to discover that their grandfather is dead and the new viscount has already taken up his position at the Hall. However, Emma was not to be fobbed off as a stupid female. If her grandfather was dead and his sons were also, then the estate would naturally go to the son of the late Viscount's last surviving son. Which was Jamie. So who is this Richard Lacey come to claim the title? And why had she never heard of him?
The last thing Richard needed was another feisty female in his life. His sister Julia had given him no end of trouble growing up until she went off and married the most favourable George. But now here he finds himself faced with a woman as stubborn and as sharp-tongued as his sister, demanding answers. But ever the considerate gentleman that he is, Richard assures her that given that Jamie is indeed the true heir to Easterby, he has no desire to claim the title for himself.
Emma was determined to fight for her brother's natural right as heir of Easterby, so naturally she was taken aback to be met with no resistance. In fact, Richard displays nothing but consideration for both her and Jamie that she found herself speechless on more than one occasion. Nor was she prepared for the strange feelings that Richard stirred within her. His breath on her neck. The tingle from his touch. The eyes that danced and the smile that stopped her heart. No. Emma was not looking for a husband and never harboured any thoughts about marriage. Not after seeing what her father put her mother through and her mother's last words of warning to her put her off the whole idea altogether. But Richard...he stirred something in her she had never experienced before. Was she prepared to ignore it and heed her mother's warning or would she follow her heart?
Despite her feisty nature, Richard found himself inexplicably drawn to Emma when the very thought of her argumentative stubbornness should have had him running for the hills. But she amused him, she kept him on his toes and soon he found that he enjoyed the tête-à-têtes he had with the forthright Emma, just as he had missed the ones he had often shared with his equally outspoken sister when she left to marry. But did he want such a vocal wife? Or would he rather the quiet life with a more docile woman?
Alas, now was not the time to linger over such matters or to start a courtship, for his life and that of Jamie were in danger. There had already been numerous attempts on his life since he acquired the title and he was sure that Frederick's death had not been an accident. Then there was the matter of contact being broken between Emma's father and her grandfather while they were abroad. Emma said her father wrote regularly but he had received no replies for nigh on five years. Someone, Richard was sure, was intercepting their communication and stopping them from reaching their destinations. It was also most unusual that Charles and his family had been declared dead long before the standard seven years had passed. It seemed someone wanted to eradicate all the descendants of the Easterby estate. But why?
Given the gravity of the situation, Richard declared that he should continue the fiction with him as the new Viscount whilst keeping Emma and Jamie's true identities a secret. For if word got out that the late Viscount's grandchildren had survived and that Jamie, as the real Viscount of Easterby, were alive then his life would be in imminent danger. To his great surprise, Emma agreed...on the condition that she be allowed to undertake investigations with him as this threat to her family is her responsibility and not Richard's. The couple would consistently argue the point on several occasions...but would it come between them in the end?
A GENTLEMAN'S PROMISE is a delightful read filled with romance, intrigue and mystery wrapped up with an amusing undercurrent that is present between the two main characters. The story sees them undertake investigations together, meeting in clubs and even a brothel! The puzzle is stringently solved as the collect bits of information which they inevitably piece together.
Richard is a true gentleman who has a slight obsession with order and symmetry whilst Emma is clearly a headstrong woman not about to be kept in the dark as a quiet docile wife. Jamie is unlike a viscount given his young age, but Richard takes him under his wing and reminds him of his responsibilities now that he has the title. Everyone is completely likeable, although sometimes frustrating, even the villain in the end.
Romances are not my usual genre but I do like a good tale of mystery and intrigue with some romance thrown in. A GENTLEMAN'S PROMISE is a romance that is not a romance, if you know what I mean. It is an historical tale that has romantic elements woven into the story but it is not the entire story. That is what I like about this tale, which is both exciting and delightful. It was a quick read that I devoured in good time and an entirely gripping story.
Perfect for those who enjoy a tale of intrigue with bit of romance that doesn't overshadow the rest of the story.
I would like to thank #PennyHampson, #RachelsRandomResources and #MatadorBooks for an ARC of #AGentlemansPromise in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Penny writes mysteries, and because she has a passion for history, you’ll find her stories also reflect that. A Gentleman’s Promise, a traditional Regency romance, was Penny’s debut novel in 2018, soon followed by more in the same genre. Penny also enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with a hint of the paranormal, because where do ghosts come from but the past? The Unquiet Spirit, a spooky mystery/romance set in Cornwall, was published by Darkstroke in 2020.
Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).
For more on Penny’s writing, visit her blog. Penny can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
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Thank you for reading and reviewing my book, Stina. I'm delighted that you enjoyed it!
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